DESTINYRWBY: A Rose Blooming
by Mudslingerartist
Summary: (Cover done by Jakeusso on DA) Ruby has been gone for a long time til a Ghost found her. All of Remnant has fallen save for a former academy now converted into a a stronghold. The Grimm and the darkness are defeated, yet they aren't gone. Ruby pledges to fight alongside her new guardian allies but she also desires to find out what had happened to her friends after all these years.
1. Eyes up Gaurdian

_To make a long story short, Grimm attacks increased exponentially after Vale was breached. As a result, all the four kingdoms were soon converted into city-sized strongholds. Even though that did not stop the Grimm's never-ending assaults, but the kingdoms were safe._

_However, Riots quickly broke out over limited amounts of resources. People who were believed to have been responsible for this disastrous turn of events - politics, criminals even former members of the White Fang - were publicly lynched. Multiple forms of extremism also rose, some prohibiting the use of dust as weapon to save it for powering machines, others excluding anyone associating with foreign kingdom to be allowed entrance._

_There were little huntsman and huntresses could do - they were caught in middle of the conflict, fighting to keep their own people alive between themselves more that defending humanity from the Grimm. This escalation of problems sent the huntsmen and huntresses dwindling down to just barely a few teams of four._

_The conflict worsened, as contact with Atlas was lost completely one day. The next to go was Mistral, and then Vacuo. When Vale was attacked, the group of huntsman and huntresses from the cliffs of Beacon Academy could only watch across the ocean as Vale was reduced to rubble and littered with corpses._

_But it was not just Grimm alone. The Creatures of darkness had now found an ally; a new kinds of races, coming in all shapes and sizes, some arriving in powerful airships of unknown origin. As the the huntsman and huntresses of beacon prepared for a final stand..._

_That's when a giant structure, known only as "the traveler" arrived. We know not how it exactly saved us from the Grimm and their allies, only that it did so...not just that one time, bur for the rest of mankind's generations. With the traveler came an infinite supply of Dust and other resources, blueprints for weapons and ships, and chance for the renaming people on the world of Remnant to start over start over again._

_However, we should have known the traveler gave these gifts for the purpose that we would be at the mercy of darkness again..._

_That's when I found her_

_**DESTINY/RWBY: A Rose blooming**_

"Eyes up guardian..." A robotic voice said.

Ruby struggled to get up. She was after all...waking up; it was no surprise that she was told to wake up. But she didn't expect to find herself...outside in the cold...and shivering. And in front of some floating diamond shaped drone...

"Woah..." Ruby gasped "...Are you robot?". Ruby was nerd for weapons and machines of war. True she had seen ariships and robots before, but never one so small and one that moved around so much. It was almost like seeing how an animal moved so gracefully for the first time.

"Yes...well...I'm ghost...actually I'm now _your_ ghost." the machine corrected himself.

"I don't remember the Atlas military ever making things like you..." Ruby said, studying the ghost. The ghost backed from Ruby, feeling uncomfortable being examined.

Before the drone could speak, a scream was heard. Though to Ruby it sounded faraway, the ghost worriedly spun around and looked off into the distance - across an endless line of rusted cars frames scrunched beside each other - and said "We need to move. We're in fallen territory."

The ghost disappeared, much to Ruby's bewilderment, only for its voice to chime in her head a few moments later.

_*Don't worry I'm still here...*_

"Where?" Ruby panicked looking around..All she could see were the line of rusted cars, A huge wall to where all the cars were going, and snowy cliff overlooking the sunset and the ocean.

_*Here.*_

"Where?!"

_*Here!*_

"WHERE!?" Ruby cried out.

_*HE- Oh for the traveler's sake...*_ Groaned the Drone's voice. *_Just get into the wall!*_

"What wall?" Ruby wondered still confused, until she remembered the wall that cars were going towards. However, as she was making her way Ruby paused at the doorway, calling out to anyone. Off to the side she could see that the line of rusted cars ended at the caved-in entrance left of the doorway. She then realized that no one must have been here in a long time.

_*Something wrong?* _the ghost asked, later popping up beside Ruby.

Ruby paused and then said "I was...I was coming here for something...was...was it to escape? Or...was it meet someone?"

"This place is a cosmodrone. It was where the Kingdom of Altas built airships, hoping to escape Remnant and live among the stars. However, the darkness had descended upon this place first. Not soul made it out...except yours..."

"Me?"

"Yes...you have been gone a long time." The Ghost explained. "Your remains had dated back to a time before the darkness invaded. However, I was able to revive you from the dead...""

Ruby's seemed dumbfound, and almost afraid, of what the ghost was saying. "...what what are you talking about?"

The ghost responded by telling Ruby Rose to go look inside of the rusted cars. Ruby did so...and found only skeletons. Dozens of time. Some even held entire families.

"...I'll explain more, but need to get in the cosmodrone." The ghost urged

"Okay but just one question..." Ruby shivered "Where is my cloak? and My scythe?"

The ghost paused and said "That's two...and, uh...in order to revive you...I needed to use whatever materials were available. A nearby Rusty scythe and A red cape infused with dust just did the trick-"

"YOU DID **WHAT!?**" Ruby Rose screamed.

"I'm sorry if they meant alot to you but-" the ghost began but was interrupted.

"MY MOTHER GAVE ME THAT CLOAK! AND MY UNCLE HELPED ME MAKE THAT SCYTHE!" cried Ruby, tears forming on her face.

"Once, again I'm sorry, but please calm d-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I DON'T KNOW WHO IN THE DUST YOU ARE, BUT I'M TIRED OF YOU!"

"Guardian, take cover!" Cried the ghost.

"The name is Ruby Rose, Leader of team...well, former leader of team RWBY and-"

Ruby was cut off as a bolt entered her chest and forced her to her knees.

_*Get inside the tower- NOW! the Fallen have seen us!* _the ghost_'s _voice had said.

Seeing as it now the ghost was inside of her head, Ruby limped her way to the doorway and slammed the door shut. It was dark inside and the smell of burnt dust fuel was everywhere.

_*Hold still...Your aura will help you regenerate your wounds.* _he ghost's voice had said.

Ruby rested again the wall, also smelling her own blood stains on her dress and feeling her eyes start to swell and her head roll with questions.

From outside, a fallen captain who had sniped Ruby contacted his peers. He alerted them that ghost was to be found with a human that was not too far from the wall entrance. Reloading his sniper rifle, he perched atop a giant Nevermore and resumed out his patrol, thinking the human would die of its wounds or other fallen forces..

The Grimm appeared to be easy to take over and use as war-beast. However Even at the risk of dying, Grimm preferred to side with their brothers over the other dark races. Still as long as all the dark races and Grimm were focused on annihilating all surviving life in remnant, there was nothing to worry about.

_**Hey guys ^_^ if you love this idea please review back so I can continue it. Its a great idea I've head for a while but I'm not sure if anyone would love it.**_


	2. fallen Fallen, grim Grimm

**Hey guys!**

**Thank you so much for the supportive reviews and the favs ^^ Initially this was just going to be something I'd just write one or two chapters on and move on but now that I see people are hooked onto it I will most certainly be continuing it. As of now most of what I'm just writing is whatever comes to mind, but I will certainly aim to please.**

**The following chapter is based on the first part of destiny, where they do crawl through maintenance areas but I changed some things about it from the game to have it more about the game's story, the lore, and whats in store for Ruby later in this story. I don't want to focus or make too many paragraphs about the fighting scenes because its pretty hard to keep track of many elements in fighting while keeping it fast-paced.**

**However there will scenes with fighting, but most of it will be meant for explaining how these enemies work or as hurdles that Ruby Rose must overcome.**

**Anyway...enjoy! ;)**

**Mudslinger077 DA**

* * *

Still shaken from the sniper's bolt but at least not bleeding anymore thanks to her Aura, Ruby Rose kept going through the wall's interior, which appeared to be some kind of maintenance area. The metal walls and stairs were rusted, littler was everywhere, and Ruby wondered how anyone could move around in such cramped chambers. It was started to get even darker as she went deeper through the wall.

_*That sniper probably thinks you're dead since you aren't in guardian armor. However, he'll probably send scouts to look out for me.* _The ghost said to Ruby, still 'in her head'.

"Well...why were you looking for me?" Ruby asked.

The ghost paused and said _*All ghosts are required to be with a guardian. The role of Ghost is to study technology and provide assistance to Guardians. Without each other, neither a ghost nor a guardian can do much. My previous guardian was sent on objective from the Speaker, telling him...well...I can't say much more as the Speaker wished to keep it as private matter between the the three of us...*_

"Well, Uh...Okay...my name is Ruby Rose. I was-"

Ruby could hear footsteps above her, along with some alien rambling. Her eyes widened.

_*Fallen...*_ The ghost gasped.

"I'm going to need a weapon, won't I?" Ruby said. The ghost materialized in front of her, almost nodding.

"Guardian, stay quiet and follow me." He insisted, leading Ruby through more maintenance areas, until they came to a balcony overlooking a completely darkened area. The ghost commented that he would try to light up the area little more.

"There is no sense in wandering around in the dark. Hopefully we won't need light for long." He said before flying off into the darkness, leaving ruby alone.

Still feeling so confused as to where in the world was she, Ruby tried to assess what was going on. First she could see apart from not having her cloak and scythe, she was still wearing her black dress and boots; they looked dirty and quite raggad. Her scroll was missing, and she desperately wanted to look in mirror - her lips felt died and cracked, her eyes almost burning, an her hair was twice its usual length. She knew that she was driving to this Atlesian 'cosmodrome' but for some reason she could never put her finger on what she was coming here for; though it was possible it was to board a ship, since that's what the ghost said this place was for.

Ruby however did clearly remember what had happened to her before she found herself driving to the Cosodrome...

* * *

_"Yang! Yang Please don't go." Ruby begged before, Yang shoved her off._

_"That woman knows something about my mom Ruby." said the red-eyed blonde._

_"You don't know that! And Ozpin said not to go after her!" Ruby said. "Please...Please at least, let me go with you."_

_Yang looked down upon Ruby and hissed "If there was a chance Summer Rose was still alive...wouldn't you be looking for her?"_

_Ruby paused and nodded, holding back tears. Yang, her eyes turning back to a clam lavender, hugged her sister and said "I need to do this alone Ruby - if you, Blake, or Weiss get involved, then I can't forgive myself if any of you get hurt...I'm might have to do some questionable things in order to reach this woman, but it will be my only chance to find out about my mom...Okay? Stay strong, sis..."_

_But Yang never came back - all Ruby could do was leave messages via her scroll until she gave up. Despite recommendations from Headmaster Ozpin, Ruby kept refusing any other student to take Yang's place. Blake and Weiss were concerned about their leader; they once caught Ruby attempting to steal a Bullhead to find Yang. After that, Ruby and rest of team never spoke of Yang._

_It got worse on the day Ruby got a call to Ozpin's office. When she came up there, she found a not Ozpin but new headmaster in his chair. Ruby tried to read his facial features yet it was hard to clearly see them in the dark corner of the room where he moved the desk to._

_"Ruby Rose...as my position of headmaster, I must come to question your actions." he hissed._

_"I...what?" Ruby asked, still taken aback by this new professor in Opzin's chair._

_"Please speak in a professional manner, Ms. Rose, unless you really are as immature as I think you are." the headmaster hissed. "Ozpin was an fool to have picked someone like you to be a huntress."_

_"Excuse me?" Ruby snapped "Ozpin had faith-"_

_The new headmaster slammed a massive folder in front of Ruby. He pulled out one piece of paper from it "This report by General James Ironwood shows that Ozpin was experiencing minor mental disturbances, while he recruited you and several other people that would have been deemed inappropriate for this school."_

_He pulled out more papers, reading what each said. "Another report claims that you and your team knew about the location of several White Fang Operations within Vale. Instead of turning this information to the police or huntsmen, you took it upon yourself and your team to combat the White Fang. In all the the times you have done so, much property damage was done, several people were hurt, and we end up no closer to destroying-"_

_"Are you asking me to to stop fighting?!" Ruby Rose barked._

_"I am asking you, young lady, to shut up and listen." Hissed the headmaster "And finally, since the disappearance of your partner, Yang Xaio Long, you have refused to provide any information on her whereabouts to your superiors and you have declined to any replacements for your team, which would bring it full strength. . In that case, along with the fact you've led your team into combat situations without approval, and merely got into this academy from impressing a delusional old man ...I judge you unfit to be a huntress-in-training."_

_The headmaster pulled Ruby's transcript and stamped _**"DISCHARGED and EXPELLED."**_ across the paper._

_Ruby Rose trembled. Her eyes were wide open and her heart dropped._

_"Bu...what..I...wha..." Ruby didn't know even how to react._

_"Its for the better of this Academy and the world, Ms. Rose. Ozpin made a mistake...several mistakes..." the new headmaster stated, placing his papers back into the folder and looking away from Ruby's face. "I've have also removed several other staff members and students at the request of the Vale Council..."_

_Ruby didn't want to hear anymore, so as then headmaster rambled on, she left silently and made her way to the elevator, sobbing in the corner as it went down._

* * *

The lights turned on above Ruby, startling her and reminding her she was inside the Cosmodrone's wall, with the ghost. Thankfully the lighting allowed her to see the area all around her - below the balcony was a deep valley of pipes running in all directions. She could also see that leaning on the balcony railing was a mangled AtlesianKnight, similar to the ones that Ruby fought along side during a grimm attack on Vale.

She walked over to it and was thankful to see that it had an Atlas Rifle still in its arms. The knight's rifle was weaker than most Huntsmen weapons and didn't have the same 'kick' that Crescent Rose bought with every shot, but it would do for now. After wrenching the rifle from the Robot's grasp, Ruby stripped any spare dust-ammunition clips from the robots compartments.

While she was doing so, a familiar growl made Ruby pause and looked around the balcony. At first she dismissed it as her stomach reminding her she needed her 'daily dose' of milk and cookies. But when she heard the growl again, she looked over the balcony's railing.

And a beowolf sprung itself towards her.

Ruby yelped, as the beowolf went over the railing and crashed onto the balcony. It was quite massive in size compared to others Ruby fought yet, there was not much else different. So Ruby wasted no time and fired full auto at the Beowulf, killing it in less than five seconds.

Somehow, the end result actually bought some sense of comfort to her; maybe it was firing a gun in her hands again or, seeing the evaporating Beowulf remains before her eyes . Either way, it didn't last long when the balcony was once again filled with silence, though Ruby did keep herself altered for anymore foes, grimm or otherwise

A few minutes later, the ghost zipped backed up to her, almost crashing into Ruby's face.

"Fallen saw me, we need to move." The ghost urged, only to notice Ruby carrying a rifle. "Wow - I didn't think anymore of those guns even existed. Most have been stripped down for parts."

"Still it will work against these...Fallen-guys...right?" Ruby asked.

* * *

Ruby found out her rifle was pretty effective against the Fallen, who were dropping dead as Ruby head-shot them, careful to conserve ammo. She was even surprised most of the fallen had pretty bad aim and endurance, though she saw that they only were armed with knifes and pistols that appeared too small for their hands. She thought about taking a knife from one of their corpses, yet a deadly shock from the knife's fail-safe system (which the ghost explained about) changed her mind. However, the ghost was able to convert some of the fallen's spare ammunition into dust-ammo for her atlas rifle.

Moments later Ruby entered an open chamber, facing with what the ghost identified as a 'Fallen Captain'. He had at two glowing cutlasses in one pair of arms, and two machine guns in the other pair. His yellow armor was decorated with a V-shaped headdress, and maroon armor pieces along with a torn up cape. Like the previous Fallen enemies he had four glowing eyes.

Behind him were massive metal chests and mounted on the walls on either side of him were glowing heptagon-prisms.

"Like a pirate Captain?" Ruby wondered.

_*...Yes...Like a pirate captain, Ruby...And he's not _too _happy that we're in his trophy room...*_ The ghost commented before the captain charged at them.

Ruby's aura had detected it and she sidestepped, dodging a the Captain's swords. However, one of the machine guns he was holding ripped through Ruby's aura. Dropping the atlas rifle and collapsing from the pain, Ruby assumed she was done for as the fallen captain began to stomp towards her.

However, falling from the ceiling were packs of Beowulf. One landed on the captain's back and started to gnaw at his headdress while other started to cricle and bark at him. Ruby assumed the others would be after her but instead they all tackled the Fallen Captain. Some of the lower ranked fallen also stormed into the trophy room, combating the grimm and attempting to defend their captain.

_*Unless you want to be next on the menu, Guardian...RUN!*_ the ghost said. Ruby, understanding that she was defenseless without her aura, so snatched her Rifle and ran towards a corridor off to the side.

But before she did, she noticed one of glowing balls - a purple one - that was previously mounted on the wall had now end up on the floor, possibly due to all the commotion.

_*Wait! Pick up that engram !*_ The ghost ordered. On the way out of the trophy room Ruby did so, holding the purple engram under her shoulder. Though she wondered as to why she couldn't tap into her semblance of speed now, she was still very nimble on her feet, placing plenty of distance between herself and the trophy room in a matter of minutes.

"Okay...so...what did I pick up?" Ruby said, panting. Running alone consumed more energy without using her semblance.

_*Its an engram. A physical object that can be decoded into weapons or armor. However...this engram is pretty rare. We should take it to the decoder master once we're out of here...* _The ghost explained, right before the engram under Ruby's shoulder glowed and vanished. _*I'll hold onto it for you, Guardian.*_

Reloading her rifle, Ruby continued through the maintenance areas, her feet steeping in freezing cold water. She then assumed she was getting closer to the other side of this wall, from feeling a cold breeze brushing her shoulders and her face, and seeing moonlight shine though the holes in the rusted ceiling.

Such the cold wind and moonlight gave her the confidence that she was nearly out of this wall. However, this also reminded Ruby of her visits to her mother's grave, particularly the one before she got accepted into Beacon and the one right after she was expelled from beacon...

_I'm sorry mom...I'm so sorry..._


	3. Cosmodrome Wasteland

_"I'm so sorry..." Ruby croaked, above her mother's tombstone._

_She wasn't crying though - she already shed enough tears from the moment she was expelled from Beacon. It had been difficult to bring the bad news to Weiss and Blake, who would be getting new teammates the next day. Her father also had not yet returned to Patch, but the headmaster had notified him of the termination of Ruby's education at Beacon. Upon finding out, Ruby's father had left a message for her and said that he loved her deeply and recognized her as one of the best fighters on remnant, regretting that he wasn't there in person to comfort her. Leaving Zwei, her pet dog, to some of the neighbors back home, Ruby made her journey to her mother's gave._

_"I don't want to think that new headmaster was right, mom. I...I thought I was doing the right thing in hunting the white fang and letting Yang go..." Ruby said. "Ozpin believed in me...and so did my team. But they aren't here by my side anymore...and...and..."_

_Ruby collapsed and hugged the tombstone._

_"MOM...mom...please...tell me what to do..."_

* * *

**COSMODROME WASTELAND**

**FORMERLY**** WITHIN KINGDOM OF ATLAS**

**NOW WITHIN FALLEN ****TERRITORY**

_*There are a few grimm and fallen north of here. I recommend that we go around them.*_ the ghost said. _*There is an abandoned ship that can get us out of here.*_

Ruby Rose silently followed the ghost's commands as she exited though the other side of the wall. To her left was a snow-capped cliff overlooking a huge river than ran alongside the wall, similar to a moat. In front of her and to the right were hills littered with wrecked ships belonging to Atlas, and several rusted buildings as far as the eye could see. In the distance she thought she saw what appeared to be an airship pointed to sky.

_*The Kingdom of Atlas, Ruby, was advancing in technology at rate much greater than the other three combined. Originally their airships were meant for military use only. As Grimm attacks increased, General James Ironwood had offered to have his people board his ships and escape the conflict-ridden Remnant. If you were from another kingdom, you'd need to sneak your way into Atlas and acquire citizenship unless you had some friends on the inside willing to pay for an expensive ticket off-world.*_

Ruby pressed on, gazing at the stars in the sky. "I know you said that that none of these ships escaped Remnant...but...was there a chance that they could have escaped if nothing else went wrong?"

_*Possibly. But where would they go? Would they even have enough food and dust to last the entire journey across the stars? Its unknown...*_

Just then the moon caught Ruby's eye. After what she had been through with waking up and being forced to fight aliens, seeing Remnant's celestial satellite in its fragmented phase sent a relief through her that she was definitely on Remnant. The moon however, seemed much father away than Ruby remembered it.

"Am I like...in the future where there's an ice age and the moon is moving away from Remnant's magnetic field?" Ruby asked, aloud.

_*Um...no and yes.*_ The ghost replied _*And...how did you know that?*_

"Astronomy elective class. Its just cool to think about how small Remnant is compared to...the huge ...uh...thing...about space. And how it was formed, and how stars are possibly made, etcetera, etcetera..." Ruby explained holding her arms out to ocean of twinkling stars.

In response, a bolt from a sniper rifle whizzed over Ruby's head. As Ruby dashed to cover behind a rock, the ghost said _*Oh yeah. I forgot to mentioned that Fallen_ _don't take prisoners. You already knew that, right?*_

* * *

Not too far from Ruby's position, an Android guardian heard the sniper fire in the distance. Her green eyes flashed wildly, only to realize that sniper-fire wasn't directed at her. Still she wondered who could be firing in the distance.

"The vanguards did say that there was possibility of Grimm and Fallen fighting each other but they needed more proof..." The android said aloud, smiling. "...I guess it wouldn't hurt to check..."

The Android discreetly and quickly made her way to a rooftop closer to the Sniper's position. She was indeed surprised to see a young female - possibly a human or Awoken, it was hard to tell in the moon light - take cover behind a rock from the Fallen sniper, who was firing though a window.

"Friendly force, please respond." The Android said into her helmet's radio. The female did not respond, thus revealing that she lacked a standard-issued radio for guardians wandering out in the wild. Even her clothing looked...something that was not Titan armor, Warlock robes, or Hunter cloaks.

The Android pulled out a sniper rifle (She preferred to use her collection of blades though) and zoomed in on the girl to get better look at her. She was indeed young - probably in her late teens though not quite an adult - with a black and red dress. Her hair appeared to be messy and uncut, and her nose and cheeks were bright red. She looked cold and worried. In her arms a was an ancient atlas rifle.

The android assumed it was just a stranger wandering the wastes, likely an exiled criminal, a scavenger, or a villager. However, The android did sense some amount of familiarity associated with the young girl, whom reminded her of someone she met long before Remnant fell to the grimm and the darkness...

Someone she had once called her best friend.

"But that was so long ago...so it can't be you..." The Android frowned, taking off her helmet briefly to get a better look at the girl. Doing also exposed her freckled face and copper-colored' hair' to the cold but she desperately needed to look at this stranger with her own eyes.

Yes, this stranger did look a lot like her friend. And no, this stranger was not her friend, whom the android regarded as an expert combatant and a brave person, nothing like the...'_impostor' _below cowering behind rock from a Fallen sniper.

So the Android took aim with her rifle, fired at the fallen sniper, and left without saying another word.

* * *

After while the fallen sniper had ceased firing. Ruby poked her head out and found his limp body hanging out the window he was previously firing from.

_*That was...unexpected. Maybe there are guardians here who can help us...*_

"Well why didn't you say so?" Ruby asked the ghost.

_*They may have a special mission or task and are keeping to themselves...or maybe they thought you were just a scavenger or a villager. Both of those kinds of people have grudge against guardians 'on their turf'...so guardians don't even bother to talk to them, even when they help them.*_

Feeling safer that now she didn't need to worry about the sniper, Ruby continued to walk across the snowy wasteland in the night, but she decided to check out one of the abandoned buildings before pressing on. When she entered it appeared to be Rec room; around the central table was a chess board with all its pieces scatted around the table and floor . In a corner was a book shelf without any books. The ceiling was caved into and a bed of snow and rubble was in another corner of the room. Right beside the table, a refrigerator was open. It held a frozen sandwich that made Ruby want to throw up.

Ruby proceeded to shut the fridge door, when she noticed the knife sticking out of the sandwich. She reached for it.

_*You can go hungry for at least a day Guardian. When I bought you back, I was able to supply some nutrient to your body via-*_ Ruby pulled out the knife to make her point, _*Oh...you should clean that, unless you want the smell of lunch to follow you in the land of predators..."_

Ruby silently wiped the knife on the snow bed and scraped its flat sides against the table to remove whatever food was left on the knife. Her obsession and knowledge about weapons made her realize that the knife was actually one used for combat and hunting,and was not kitchenware. The handle had two grips for the pinkie finger and index finger. The blade itself had a hole in it, presumably for balancing it's weight out, and the tip of the knife also had some hook-like feature, presumably for tearing off flesh.

_*Ruby?*_

"Hmm?"

_*You've been staring at the knife, for a minute now.*_

Ruby stuck the knife in her belt and said "Oh, Well..when I'm alone I'm really deep in thought and...I enter into some kind of state where... Combat just feels like its just a part of life, like breathing, and walking...I haven't been in this state in a long time, since when I was at Beacon Academy there was always someone to talk to..."

Ruby sat against one of the walls for a little while longer in the rec room, though the cold made it impossible for her to enjoy this sense of peace. And the monsters out there...she just yearned for combat again...

"Hey...uh...ghost? How come I couldn't tap into my semblance back when I was running through the maintenance areas?" Ruby asked.

The ghost popped in front of Ruby and said "When I bought you back...Your aura...wasn't...well...it needed to be unlocked all over again. So...I'd say you've still got your aura, but its you say it has droped back to 'level one'. And as for using it regain your semblance...That will take time and experience. Some guardians need months of training to discover their semblance."

"Are there some guardians bought back from the dead, like me?" Ruby asked.

The Ghost paused and said, "Not that I know of. You weren't the first and you aren't the last. But that's a matter that must be kept as a secret. The whole world would go crazy to think that ghosts like me could keep reviving dead."

"But...you can? Right?" Ruby asked.

"Yes...but to revive one person takes alot of energy and resources. I was lucky have some some of my previous guardian's dust, your dust-infused cape, and your powerful scythe to bring you back to life. Image what people would demand from us; they would ask us to revive families, civilizations and armies from the dead. And we can't do that, Ruby...death is a part of life, just as a ghost is to a guardian of the light."

"The light?" Ruby wondered.

"Yes Ruby. The Grimm, The Fallen, and others who wish are darkness. And we are the defenders and protectors of the light."

After deciding it was too cold to sit down any longer, Ruby got up, walked the table and snatched one of the pieces before leaving the Rec room.

It was a white knight piece.

"When I was huntress in training, a chess piece just like this was part of my initiation...and it was also a part of how my team came together..." Ruby sighed, half-happy and half-saddened.

_*Oh...* _The ghost's voice said_ *That's...interesting...anyway, the location of a ship hanger isn't too far away from here. Its probably guarded by Fallen and Grimm...so don't die. You can make sure of that right?*_

Ruby snorted "Oh please, I was huntress in training...What can I not do against a bunch of aliens and Grimm?"

* * *

**(LOCATION INFORMATION REDACTED)**

"Is it true?" a robed man, who was also known officially as the as the Speaker, asked aloud later typing into the digital scroll his desk.

The response that came was:

_IT IS TRUE...MY POWER IS FADING, THE DARKNESS WILL RETURN. BRILLIANT LIGHTS WILL CEASE TO BURN..._

_And what do you mean the darkness will return__?_ The Speaker typed.

_THIS WILL BE THE DAY WE HAVE WAITED FOR...and dreaded for...I HOPE YOU AND YOUR...WARLOCKS, TITANS, AND...'HUNTERS' IF YOU PREFER TO CALL THEM...ARE READY FOR A REVOLUTION..._

"They are ready, Traveler. I will send armies of them to wipe this threat wherever it may it may hide." The speaker stated, looking up from his desk and glancing out at the traveler though an observation window. To describe it all one had to say was that it was a huge white ball, having a few bits of damage here and there from what was assumed to be from a previous conflict.

As if the Traveler had heard the robed man talking aloud, the response sent to his scroll was.

_You...may prepare armies, just as the kingdoms before you had done...but take heed, there will be no victory in strength, numbers, resources...investing into such traits had led to the downfall of the four kingdoms rather than their salvation..._

"So where can we find salvation? Where can we find victory against this darkness?" The speaker wondered aloud.

The traveler did not respond to him for while but when he did, four little words came up:

_In a simple soul..._

* * *

**_Once again thanks for faving and following this fanfiction ^_^ it means alot to me that you think my fanfiction is worth reading. _****_If you have any comments or criticism feel free to put them in a review this of fanfiction._**


	4. To the Tower

**Just a heads up guys, my ****College courses will also be starting back up in just a few more days and I'll be kinda busy with a few things here and there...I'm also losing interest in Destiny so that sadly might affect things. I would've polished this chapter a little more and even work on my other fanfictions, but my family has been so busy with me than I have not had the time to do so... **

**As for the story...if you really feel that it does not reach your expectations please tell me...I want this fiction to be great, even better than how I originally envisioned it.**

**And thank you to do those who follow it and my other fanfictions.**

* * *

**COSMODROME WASTELAND**

**FORMERLY**** WITHIN KINGDOM OF ATLAS**

**NOW WITHIN FALLEN ****TERRITORY**

Ruby approached the Atlas jumpship the ghost directed her to. It was no bigger than Bullhead dropship, and much less stunning or appealing than one. The cylindrical nose of the jumpship extended out from its flat triangular base. On either side of the jumpship were two massive engines. Its faded paint and symbols said enough time had passed since its prime. It dangled within wires and cable above the ground, ready to come crashing down at any second (Much like the bed in Ruby's dorm)

"That's kinda feels...very dangerous..." Ruby shivered.

_*Would you rather walk across the Wasteland?* _The ghost asked. Ruby shook her head; she was cold, tired, and confused. The last thing she wanted to to do was run into more Fallen and Grimm.

"What I mean to ask is...will it fly?" Ruby said.

"Then let me get it started..." The ghost replied, appearing briefly in front of Ruby and disappearing into the ship.

Once again Ruby felt alone and worried, wishing she'd be still asleep in Port's class or even being in that moment where she still was scolded by Glynda.

"Hey...uh...ghost..." Ruby asked scanning the doors and vents. "I though you said there was going to be Fallen and Grimm here..."

_*And only now I see why they aren't - this ship is all out of dust and its wrap drive is missing, so its pretty much a pile spare parts. This ship is going to probably bring alot of attention if I restart it...*_

The jumpship then coughed out black smoke as began to levitate. As it did so, Ruby heard the ship's engine's grind and screech.

"Actually...I think I'll walk..." Ruby commented stepping away from jumpship as if it was ready to explode.

_*Too late Guardian - we've got company!*_ Ruby then could hear the sounds of both Fallen and Grimm stomping and growling closer and closer. Before Ruby could get a chance to see where they coming from, She felt her own body denigrate into pieces...

...and end up landing upside down in a cramped and dark corridor within the jump ship. The Ghost was hovering above her.

"You can come back later when you are ready..." the ghost assured. As Ruby struggled to realign herself in the space she was in. Meanwhile the hull of ship was bombarded with blasts from Fallen weapons and scratched with Grimm claws. Ruby was thankful that the hull managed to still hold.

"Ruby Rose...Fasten your seat beat." The ghost said, as Ruby felt the ship begin to rise.

* * *

A fallen sniper riding a nevermore saw Ruby's jumpship rise into the night sky. He was contacted by his superiors that the ship was ordered to be shot down and salvaged. Normally the fallen's sniper job was to chase off guardian's ships before they dropped off any guardians using his nevermore. If they got past him or if he had the chance, he would have the Nevermore spear the ship with its feathers and then finish off the remaining guardians from afar with his sniper rifle.

Figuring that a good aerial hunt would do with a bit of challenge, the fallen sniper contacted two other patrols in the sky. He told then that the first one to shot down the jumpship would be awarded with whatever scrap he could find along with the pilot's corpse as a meal for their nevermore.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Ruby whined trying to stay comfortable in her seat.

_*Ask me that question again few more minutes and only then I will change my answer.*_ the ghost said as the engines around Ruby kept stalling and screeching. _*I'll also need to fix the radio to communicate with the tower. Anymore questions?*_

"Why aren't there any windows?" Ruby wondered.

_*Altas's military army was rapidly being replaced by robots and artificial intelligence, during the kingdom's last days. Robots don't even need windows to look out from.*_

"Terrific." muttered Ruby.

_*This ship does have a map and a radar, so you use that if you are curious about where we are you can use th-*_

Then a massive body struck the outside of the ship, Ruby fell out of her seat and landed face-first onto the floor, her heart almost stopping from the sudden attack. She reached for her mouth and felt a tooth was wiggling.

The jumpship felt it was being dragged, almost held up by some invisible force as its engines kept pushing it forward. The ghost told Ruby to go up an open hatch and see who was attacking.

Grabbing her atlas rifle, Ruby found a ladder to the upper hatch. Throwing the hatch door open, her jaw dropped up upon seeing a that a nevermore was clinging to the jumpship's hull, using its beak to tear away parts of it.

Still within the hatch, Ruby fired her rifle multiple times at the Nevermore but it did no good. Instead it made the Nevermore turn and toward her and violently lunge forward. Ruby rolled out of the way, feeling the strong wind pushing her so had that a small misstep could send her flying.

Luckily for her, the nevermore had ended up getting its beak stuck within the hull. However, emerging from atop a saddle strapped to the Nevermore was a silhouette of a Fallen Vandal against the rising sun.

_*Guardian, I'm detecting two more fallen-nevermore patrols en route - Just focus on staying alive! We're almost to the tower!*_

"That I can do..." Ruby said, feeling uneasy as the Fallen sniper, stomping towards her as her glared at her with his four blue eyes. Unlike Ruby, he wasn't having much trouble walking across the windy surface of the ship. Before he could get any closer to Ruby he was cut off by barrier of feathers that had been impaled into the ship.

Ruby Rose looked up a found the source of the feathers belonging to a Nevermore hovering above her, also being ridden by a Fallen warrior. Meanwhile, the third fallen nevermore patrol was just catching up behind him. The first nevermore still had its beak stuck in the hull as its legs clung to the side of the jump ship.

However the fallen sniper went around the line of feathers and kept marching on toward Ruby. Frantic, Ruby opened fire with her Atlas Rifle, The fallen warrior absorbed the shots, however, and rushed to Ruby knocking the atlas rifle out of her hands and into the air.

Ruby was then pinned down on the hull of the ship and was choked with the Fallen's lower arms. The Fallen let out a sound that was almost like chuckle, and readied his sniper rifle with his upper arms. He pointed the barrel at Ruby and pulled the trigger.

Just then, the ship jerked violently (Causing the fallen sniper to lose his aim) as the blot whistle past Ruby's ear and hit the jumpship's engine, causing it to explode. Both Ruby and the Fallen warrior were engulfed in the blaze.

* * *

_*Guardian? Guardian!* _The ghost cried out as he was trying to drive the jumpship. They were almost near the tower - Ruby would see it coming into view a in a few seconds - but the ghost had no intention to lose a new guardian after he just got one.

On the hull above, Ruby was alive and coughing, hanging onto cables coming from an open panel for dear life. Her clothing was singed, Her face caked in soot, her eyes red and burning, and her messy long hair now smoking. But thanks to her aura..she was at least alive. It was rather unfortunate for the Fallen warrior, who lacked an aura, that he was blow away and burned by the explosion.

"I'm...okay..." Ruby coughed, wiping her face clean with one of her hands. The nevermore that was previously had its beak stuck had now flown away. Though now Ruby felt the dropship and descent.

_*Almost there...*_ The ghost assured to Ruby as the jumpship entered into a tightly-packed clouds.

Two Nevermorse had manged to follow them into the clouds and were swooping down toward the jumpship, their Fallen riders letting out an alien war cries. Ruby closed her eyes, tightening her grip on the cable, and braced for the airborne grimm to collide with the ship.

Instead, she heard distant machine gun fire and the nevermore crying out in pain. Ruby opened her eyes and saw black and red pieces of nevermore descend into the clouds.

_*Those were the tower's anti-air turrets! We're close!* _Cried out the ghost_. *Mayday, Mayday! This is friendly forces. We are en-route to the tower in an ancient atlas jumpship but we are losing altitude!* _

Over the communications, Ruby could hear a response _"Understood, Ghost. We are tracking your decent...try to direct the jumpship towards the hanger, we'll clear it out for you..."_

Shooting out of the clouds, the jumpship started to descend even further. Still clinging to the rope, Ruby also noticed its other engine tarting to give cough and die out.

_*YES! We're almost there...wait...NO! Our Other engine is starting to give in! Ruby, Get inside I'll...Ruby?*_

The ghost materialized on the upper hull and saw Ruby was no longer clutching the rope. She was falling.

* * *

_**Three centuries ago**_

_**ISLAND OF PATCH**_

_Ruby approached the remains of her house. But there were no pictures frames, plants or any pieces of furniture left - whatever items had not been burned had been looted._

_A report had just came in telling her that Patch was attacked by the Grimm. By the time Ruby arrived there, the Island was off limits to commoners as Altas Soldiers and Robots scanned the island for anymore trances of Grimm._

_Ruby infiltrated her way into P__atch. Everywhere was evidence of a massive grimm attack - forests were flattened, houses were abandoned, and not a living soul was in sight. The attack was so quick that half the islands in inhabitants could not get a word out. Someone survivors even claim to have seen humans or fanus working with grimm, but there was little evidence to suggest that, though Atlas was pushing the fact it could be a grimm-white fang alliance, much to the doubt of the other kingdoms._

_Ruby didn't bother to give into crying. Instead, she just walked into her house, walking into the living room, threw her cloak over her shoulder and started to mourn for the dead and all she had lost._

_Her mom._

_Her sister._

_Her Dreams._

_Her team._

_Her Dog._

_Her home._

_She knew she still had her father and uncle...somewhere..._

_But no matter what she would always feel so alone-_

_"Hey!"_

_Ruby jumped as an atlas soldier in blue and silver armor walked stepped into living room, trembling with a rifle in his hands._

_"Don't move, 'kay?"_

_Ruby didn't bother to raise her eyes to look at the soldier. She simply nodded._

_"Hey uh...you from around here?" the soldier asked._

_Ruby nodded._

_"This your home?"_

_Ruby nodded._

_"Wow...I'm...I'm so sorry..." The soldier said "I know its my job an all to report intruders...but...You're safe with me...Just...don't be long here 'kay? And to avoid getting caught, try leaving the island by noon - most of the soldiers are on lunch break and you can stowaway on boat back to Vale"_

_Ruby nodded._

_"And...well...I don't know how to say this but...my old man told me 'houses come and go, but a home where where you stay with people who love you'...'"_

_The atlas soldier then left the building, but his words gave Ruby an idea, via her scroll she asked Weiss and Blake to visit her within Vale..._

_She still had them...hopefully..._

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

"Ruby Rose..."

Stared by the emotion of her name, Ruby awoke and shivered on chair, dressed in a fresh red-robe on chair. In front of her was a bowl of various fruit on a desk, with masked man in white robes towering over her. Looking around Ruby could hear the sound of gears winding above her in the darkened room.

"...Eat". Commanded the robed man. Ruby didn't hesitate, starting to devour the strawberries and then the oranges.

"I'll have you know...they are products of the traveler. Without him, We be at the mercy of the grim...and the darkness..." Said the masked man.

Ruby gulped down her food at the mention of the grim. "Do you mean the Fallen too?"

"The Fallen are part of a darkness...beyond the moon and from the stars. That very darkness has pressured the traveler to this very place; Remnant..."

"The traveler? My ghost said something about it..." Ruby wondered, then she realized something "Where is my ghost? Where is my dress? How do you know my name? And...where am I?"

The masked man stood up and walked over a panel. "I'll be happy to answer your questions Guardian, after you answer this one..."

A huge observation window opened infront of both of them; Ruby stepped forward and gasped. Below was courtyard, filled with merchants, commoners, and guardians. beyond them, ships were landing and taking off on the platform hovering above a huge lake. And beyond that was a town and a hanging above the town so still was scared white orb - massive in size.

"Welcome to the future. Welcome back to Vale. And Welcome to Beacon Tower or should I say...Beacon Academy" the masked man said. "It has been three centuries since Beacon had a headmaster or was just an academy...So I must ask; what can you tell me about those days?"


	5. The Shining Beaconsorta

**What's up guys I am back from my hiatus.**

**Now I've just realized that even after I am done with work I suddenly have this urge/craving just to do more - or at least get my hands on something. Normally I try to distract this with youtube lets plays of horror RPGs but I always feel like I could be doing something better.**

**Hence I have returned...and I'm going to try to finish this fiction for the sake of doing something I love and doing something whenever I have time. What this will mean is that when I do write chapter from now on they may feel rushed and quick to follow. However, I just want to do it for the sake of doing something useful. If I spend too much time on it, I tend to overthink and feel very pressured and usually that drives me away from writing.**

**Still I hope you enjoy this fanfiction and I will continue to work on it proudly. (Btw I just completed Destiny - was fun while it lasted especially the boss fight, but the ending pretty much summed up the story in as attempt to get us to buy more content. And I gladly would if I hadn't already spent sixty dollars on the game alone. Destiny is still a great game...just not worth all that money. At least not until they put more into the story - heck when I look at SWTOR's lore (which is probably as a long as lord of the ring when combined), You could just put all of destony's lore into a children's storybook...)**

**Mudslinger077 Out**

* * *

**BEACON TOWER (FORMERLY BEACON ACADEMY)**

**SPEAKER'S OFFICE (FORMERLY BEACON HEADMASTER OZPIN'S OFFICE)**

"..So in the end Vale was breached but we a managed to hold them off thanks to the help of the Altas military...And that is about about as much as I can tell you..." Ruby sad to the masked man in front of her.

"..That's all? but so much had happened between then an now - the fall of Patch, and the separation of the kingdoms...can't you tell me any of it?"

Ruby paused. Suddenly she felt that the red robe she wore stood out so much from the green walls and pillars of the room. The sounds of the large gears above head mimicked the pace of her heartbeat. And the faceless man before her stemmed demanding, ignoring the uncomfortable expression on Ruby's face.

"...I...I'm sorry...I don't want to talk about...there's...been some sensitive moments between then and now..."

"Very well Ms. Rose. You have answered mine as best as you can so I will answer yours..."

Before Ruby could open her mouth the masked man said, "I am the Speaker. I monitor the traveler's behavior and its activity, trying to answer questions like...why did it come to Remnant? Or does it even have mind? There are many who ask these questions, but for three centuries we have been looking for answers. As you remained deceased during those those three centuries, the remaining Human, Fauns, and Atlas androids entered into a progressive era - however, we could not expand to lost lands, for our enemies have conquered and stood their ground. They are known as the the Grimm, the Fallen, the Hive, the Vex, and the Cabal - all who are commonly referred collectively as 'the darkness'...Other mysterious factions have risen, such as the nine and the awoken though they have different objectives...and in this conflict I've been told by the traveler that victory in this conflict rests in a simple soul."

"...Uh, I-I get that all this..."darkness-light-stuff" is supposed to be significant, sir...but can I ask a question?" Ruby asked. The speaker silently nodded "Where is my ghost?"

"You're ghost is still with you, but I've requested that he does not interfere with our discussion. He's has also decided to run some errands and arrange quarters for you." The Speaker explained "As I was saying...Victory is in a simple soul...and the traveler might be speaking of you."

"Me?" Wondered Ruby.

"Yes...unless there is someone else who can take that role..."

"Um...Speaker...sir? I really...am just so..."

"Confused? Overwhelmed?" The speaker wondered. "Not to worry...we can discuss this later Ms. Rose - You've had a long night so I suggest you take the time to adjust to your new environment. But do me a favor Ruby - the rest of the world sees you as one more commoner in the tower, not some resurrected huntress-in-training. Keep as much of low profile as possible..."

* * *

"Well, that went well..." The ghost commented.

"Still..." Ruby said "He seemed so...straightforward..."

"He speaks for the Traveler...he has be straightforward a lot."

"Yeah..." Ruby eyed the traveler from the elevator window. Ruby found it unbelievable to find it so still and inactive, where everything below it seemed so alive and colorful.

Stepping out of the elevator, Ruby and the ghost were face to face with ten robed men and women, clad in white and purple and doning bucket-like helmets with small square opening, where a an emblem of a crown was printed right above the visor. Ruby stepped aside as the robed people marched into the elevator.

"The Goodwitches; one of the most-respected clans of guardians to inhabit the tower." The ghost "They are named after like the legendary huntress Glynda Goodwitch. They prefer to use their semblances and their other abilities as opposed to any hand-held weapons...unless its a riding-crop."

"Okay..." Ruby nodded following her ghost into the courtyard. Seeing merchants and warriors here instead of students did make the place more colorful but it also made it look less like the Beacon academy she knew. "Is there still an academy here?"

"The tower does have a portion that is an academy...but half of it is meant to function as a headquarters..." The ghost stated.

Ruby eye's then caught an Atlesian Knight-200 - only with red markings over its white surface with a blue visor. The knight was also wearing additional armor plating, though Ruby knew the knight's surface alone was enough to defend it.

"Coooool...but kinda weird..." Ruby praised.

The ghost then said "Most of the Atlesian Knights, along with other androids, had been granted a soul and an aura when the traveler appeared. Now they can walk, talk, and fight like humans and Faunus. Most are even altering their appearance to look more humanoid...like that guardian in front of you. But some could not be granted an aura or personality and therefore are still considered machines."

Ruby glanced at one of the guardians in front of her, who was posing with a rocket launcher for a commoner to admire. This guardian cone wore a cloak around his shoulders and face. Unlike human or fanus eyes, his green eyes appeared to glow (almost like Penny's) and the skin of his face was pale - almost silver where he also had a bar-code and a "7" tattooed onto the side of his face . Additionally his robot hands were fulled exposed, confirming he was an android.

"That's pretty neat..." Ruby gasped. "I wish I was an android...or a Fanus."

"Don't feel bad if you're human." said the Ghost. "Now come on - I want you to meet your Vanguard."

* * *

Ruby's Vangaurd was dark-skinned tiger faunus. His blazing orange hair went perfectly with his tattered cloak, though his grey mustashe seemed very out of place. Ruby studied the detail on his armor, seeing it was decorated with scratches all over. His-shoulder armor was modeled after an Ursa's head.

"Aren't you too young to be even be think of becoming a guardian, Let alone being too short?" The Vanguard asked.

Before Ruby could speak her ghost piped up and said "Ruby here is very dedicated to becoming a guardian, specifically a huntress. She made her own hunting knife and saved up alot of glimmer to buy a legendary-engram."

"A legendary engram?" the Vanguard scoffed. "Let me see it, Ghost."

The ghost did so, materializing the purple-heptagon-prism-shaped engram onto the table. The vanguard's eye's twinkled.

"Interesting...You should take it to the engram decoder - he covert will it into something more...lethal." Ruby nodded

"I see you defiantly go above and beyond Ruby Rose. But you could have approached either bolt-bucket-blizz-brasher..." he pointed a claw to the titan android vanguard across from his desk "...or that old human magician..." he then pointed to the warlock who was in deep meditation. "So I ask now...why me?"

"Well judging from Ruby's combat skills, I think its best suited that-" The ghost began but was interrupted by the vanguard.

"I didn't ask you, machine. I asked your master." The vanguard said, his green eyes starring down at Ruby's silver eyes.

* * *

**_THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO_**

**_CITY OF VALE_**

_Ruby tired so hard not to cry in joy, but she couldn't resist throwing herself at Blake and Weiss._

_"I'm sorry about...everything, Ruby.." Weiss said, after several moment of a silent group hug had passed._

_"Its...its...fine..." Ruby nodded as the three took their seats at a cafe. "How are your teams? and How's beacon"_

_Blake and Weiss told Ruby about what was going on at Beacon - apparently several members of the staff, Including Port and Oobleck, were removed along with thousands of students. _

_"Classes have also been the same but the teachers that replaced the old ones...are really boring." Blake said. "The school has seen better days when Ozpin was around..."_

_"Still, at least we're still with Pyrrha and Ren..." Weiss added "Lucky of us the new headmaster had put both of our teams together. But it wasn't so lucky for Jaune or Nora..."_

_Ruby had though she never had seen Weiss look so...saddened "Pyhrrha had told us Jaune was excluded because the new headmaster found out he was using fake transcripts. I would have said he had it coming...but...when I saw walk out with his bags...I had to give him a hug. Just so we both could stop crying. He's a dolt yeah...but...he reminds me of you..." Wiess then blushed "T-that does not mean I have feelings for him - I-I was just sorry for him."_

_Ruby giggled and turned to Blake "What about Nora?"_

_"Nora had...disagreed with the new professor and tried to take him down. It sounds crazy but she was just hating how everything was changing around the school. And when Jaune left, that's when she lost her patience. The next thing we knew is that we never saw her again, and that Professor Goodwitch had sent a message saying that Weiss, Ren, and Pyrrah had been combined into __Team R-P-B-W...a.k.a. Raspberry."_

_Ruby chuckled. "Its good to know that at least all of you are still together...but I wish i knew what happened to Nora and Jaune."_

_Weiss__ then said "Jaune I hear found work on an Altas ship but he's stopped responding whenever I text him. Nora...well she still visits but mostly she is out in the wilderness protecting villages from Grimm even though that's a dangerous job, even for her. She once limped all the way to the Beacon with a scar across her back."_

_For the rest of the after noon the friend did their best to change the subject to more trivial things than the recent tragedies but it always kept coming back to that. Still Ruby appreciated the company of her former teammates._

_As they were finished with their lunch, Weiss asked "Hey Ruby...ever since that incident on patch, where have you been living?"_

_"Oh I can't wait to show you!" Ruby chimed._

* * *

"I want to be hunter because Its what I am most familiar with - fighting with only my hands and whatever tools I'm carrying in them. I've got a semblance of speed, and thats something I've always seen hunter's as - fast and deadly. But I also see them as defenders, no more or no less special than...uh...the big strong guys.. and the guys with the force-powers...but I've always seen it as my style of fighting."

The Vanguard nodded and smiled with confidence "Very well little Ruby. You will begin your training as a hunter tomorrow morning. Well be deployed into Fallen territory. _B__e ready, and be brave_"

* * *

Ruby made a few trips around to each of the merchants and explored much of Beacon. Most of Beacon was overhauled to the point Ruby couldn't remember whatever memories she had in such a place.

*We can head to dormitories and get some rest before training. But first I want to have that engram encrypted, so that we may make some use of it.* the ghost said.

As the sun set, painting Beacon's courtyard in oranges and purples. The moon began it rise and stars started to twinkle. It was a sight that Ruby wished that could last forever, though she knew better.

Ruby faced down feeling alone and lost in a strange new world. She looked up just in time to see the Engram Decrypter - some kind of alien with pale skin and golden eyes, approach from his tent.

"Greetings young lady..." he welcomed Ruby "You need something decrypted or are you a cadet looking for something to put on a history report?" The Decrypter asked.

Ruby blinked, almost at how this old man (Or..."old alien") reminded her fondly of the old shopkeeper who ran a dust shop. Ruby showed him the engram (Which the ghost had materialized in front of the decrypter.)

"_You_...Where did you get that?"

Ruby jumped, Dropping the engram as she turned around to face a tall and slender guardian - a hunter specifically looking down on her with green eyes and copper-colored hair.

"Me? Oh I just found it-"

The ghost interrupted Ruby saying *Lying around..at home...her family owned a-*

The tall hunter shoved the ghost away looking down at Ruby in the eye. At first Ruby though the hunter was angry with her. But then the Hunter's face calmed. And Ruby studied her face, specifically the green eyes, the freckles, and copper hair...

"Penny?" Ruby asked.

"Penny's" response was a tight suffocating hug and a smile that stretched across her face.


	6. The Sunsinger

**Hello Everyone!**

**I've been busy studying for a test and I've also been working on an animation dedicated to Monty Oum - his passing took a huge toll on me. **

**(See my deviantart page for details)**

** But as he and his family would say "Keep moving forward". I'm just gonna take a small break from the project and update a few fictions, maybe even start working on some one-shots. **

**First i want to divert some attention away from Ruby and penny for a while (NUTS AND DOLTS RULE!) and focus on other ideas I had ion mind for this fanfiction before I forget them. Don't worry - we'll be back to the dynamic duo after this.**

**I haven't played destiny for while, nor will I look forward to getting the Dark below DLC, But I still love this fiction.**

**Anyway here we go:**

**THE MOON**

Remnant's moon was still shattered and glowed brightly in the sky. But even it had a dark side.

This is what a Warlock kept in mind as she rode her dust-powered speeder through a rocky and barren Valley. The sky was dotted with stars though so it wasn't all *That* barren.

She checked to make sure her rounded helmet was still operation and had no air leaks. She was happy that she could allow her hair to flow freely in the *wind* (there was no air on the moon by her hair was stiffly moving along with the bike.) without having to working about oxygen.

She skidded a few feet in front of a artificial structure within a valley wall. The entrance was easy to locate because of some skeletons left outside of a glowing green hole two time as wide and three time taller than her.

Allow her speeder to disintegrate for ease of carrying it, She causally made her way towards the entrance, telling her ghost to play club music some club music for her as she swung her hips.

It bought back at least a few pleasant memories.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

She was instantly met with glares though the chambers and tunnels within the structure, eyes in the dark hissing and cursing under their breath but none dared to get more closer than she could burn them with her powers.

It was lesson they never wanted to learn ever again.

The warlock continued to make her way down, humming to _"Dreams come true."_ she yearned to dance in the chambered yet the creatures around her would thinks she was just going to attack. She may have put fear into them, but she didn't feel up for another fight. She had business to take care of.

The warlock finally reached a circular room where three wizards were bowing before a blackened chuck of metal with wires and rods sparking at the other end. As the warlock proceeded into the room, a hive knight in red armor stomped over and growled at her. His three green eyes yearned to kill, though the fact that half face war burned he was missing a hand displayed he got the message during her last visit not to mess with her.

"We aren't going to need to blast our way outta here right?" her ghost said, materializing next to her.

"Well I sure had a _blast_ the last time I was here...Might as well do it again..." The warlock grinned behind her helmet.

"Leave us, Sunsinger. I prefer to see the morning light burn my eyes instead of you."

One of the wizards stopped bowing before the artifact and approached the warlock. The warlock could tell it was a female from the voice and slender body. The wizard (or witch...Her helmet's HUD didn't recognize gender) Beckoned the knight to leave, which he reluctantly did so.

"My name is Omnigul." The wizard hissed.

"My name is my own business." The Omnigul said "I was clearing out Fallen turf on Remnant for you and your goons to take over. I'd like something in return."

"That being?" The Omnigul asked. the Warlock pointed to the Shard of metal.

"The piece of the traveler?" The Omnigul "Don't even make me laugh, warlock."

The warlock reached out for Omnigul's neck and dragged the wizard close to her faceplate. Omnigul was so close to the visor she sword she saw burning red eyes behind it.

"I'll make you cry, witch." warned the Warlock.

"Gaurdian...we've got movement! And its big..." The ghost warned.

The warlock didn't need to think twice as she sidestepped, evading a sword coming down at her position. Glad that not a hair was out of place, the Warlock activated her gauntlet and punched the face of her attacker, who was the scarred knight that left earlier.

Now having scarred his face on both sides, the warlock then unleashed a volley of fireballs at the knight. In blaze of fire he was nothing but ash.

The Warlock then back to marched to the Omnigul. "Either you give me the Shard, or I'm taking both the shard and the lives of your hive."

Omnigul paused and thought about it. "Fine...take them both."

Then additional chambers opened above and below the Warlock, sending out hive thralls gashing and roaring. The warlock rushed forward, blasting more and more of them into ashes with her gauntlets and warlock powers.

"This is just too easy..." the Warlock said, now both dancing and fighting to music playing her helmet.

However one of them managed to dig its teeth into the side of her helmet. The Warlock pulled away from the thrall, but she started to cough and gag, hurling fireballs everywhere in desperation to keep the thrall away from her.

She then realized that the wizards, though thankfully the shard was. She would have cursed in fury four their cowardice but then collapsed onto her knees.

"Ghost...Ghost!" she panicked trying to fend off the thrall.

*I'm working on distributing materials to repair the suit - but I only have enough to kept you going for a few more minutes...*

"Do it then!" barked the warlock."I'm gonna...send us out with a bang."

*Does nearly every you say have to be a pun?*

"Can't you ever enjoy...some _pun_?" the warlock coughed, hurling a fireball at the shard.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

_(Author note: If you really hate this part because it makes you think of a scene in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, please don't hate me too.)_

The explosion caused a part of canyon where the structure was to explode. Among the massive amounts of debris flying out at high speeds into space was the warlock, tightly clinging onto the a rock.

Pretty soon she felt herself being teleported into the interior of a spaceship. Throwing off her helmet revealing her purple eyes and fair skin she breathed rapidly and rested herself against her ship's hull, her head down.

"We..." she sighed "...we almost had it..."

"No I'm afraid we didn't. But now the hive won't make use of that shard anymore." The ghost commented "I'll drive us to the location of our next mission. In the meantime please get some rest."

As the ghost floated away through the ship, the Warlock examined the damage in her helmet and found a small piece of paper.

She opened it knowing already who it was from and what it would hold.

_"Dear future Yang...or...me" the Warlock began. "You are read this when you are in the crappiest time and and place. Remember that little sister you had? the one you left behind? we owe a lot to her. But can't give it her cause...by now...she's probably gone. Along with mom (A note above above it said "Summer rose, Not that person who left you) and dad... But...there's something else you need to really know; we owe a lot to them. and they look down and honor it because we don't die; we traced. we become legends, and what we leave behind be it a crater in the moon or a person you just gave hope to. Its our destiny._

_Signed,_

_ past Yang._

_P.S. Make sure I'm pretty in the future. Oh and find my other gauntlet. I think I lost it back on mars..."_

Yang sighed smiling, brushing her hair off to the side, and resting her head on the cold floor before the next mission.

:-:-:-:-:-:

**_Thanks for following ;p_**


	7. Nuts and Dolts

**Special thanks to Jakeusso for letting me use his art for the cover of this story. Check out his other work here: **

_**Three hundred years ago**_

_**Vale**_

_"You've been working at this dust shop?" Blake asked._

_"Yup." Ruby replied, throwing on a dust-caked apron and placing dust crystals into the glass case. "The owner gave me the job after recognizing me from the night I saved him. He's pretty strict but I should be thankful he considered me for the position. He's even letting me stay at his place until I can rent an apartment and take"_

_Weiss appeared to be silent thought out the who conversation, looking around the shop. She didn't know what to think of upon seeing how Ruby was now reduced from team leader to selling merchandise and dust in an old shop._

_"Weiss, you okay?"_

_Weiss bit her lipped and chocked on her words._

_"Weiss?" Ruby asked, placing a hand on the heiress's cold shoulder_

_Finally Weiss turned around, but she refuse to make eye-contact with Ruby._

_"It...just seems like yesterday I only said goodbye to you...to Yang...and our old life..." Weiss closed her eyes but the tears escaped anyway. "I...everyday I'm so angry...everyday I wake up thinking about how devastated you were that day you left...everyday I try so hard to become huntress because its what you wanted...But...but...what about you?"_

_Ruby wiped Weiss's tears with a cleaning cloth she had in her hands . "Just keep moving forward, Weiss. I'm proud of both you and Blake."_

_Weiss nodded and Blake stepped beside her . "If you ever need us..." the heiress said..._

_"I'll always need you guys. You're more than just my friends. You're huntresses in training. You're still my team."_

_"...if you ever need us Ruby...we'll be there..." Weiss said, smiling. It was the happiest thing Ruby had ever seen from the heiress._

_The shopkeeper came from downstairs carrying a box full of dusk. "Dust shop closes in 10 minutes Ms. Rose. Make sure you finish filling those dust crates."_

_"Yes sir," Ruby saluted._

_"We better get going too." Blake added "We're got to study for test tomarrow."_

_The three friends then gave each other goodbyes. As Weiss walked out the door, Blake stopped and said "Ruby?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"If you bump into Yang...tell her...tell Yang, thanks. For slowing me down...She'll understand."_

-:-:-:-:-:-:

**PRESENT DAY**

**BEACON TOWER**

Ruby groggily tried to remember how long ago she met Blake and Weiss.

"I'm glad you always kept visiting me once a month..." Ruby sighed.

"Something on your mind, Guardian?"

The ghost asked popping up beside Ruby, cause her to jump out of bed.

"Woah...don't you have like an off setting or a sleep mode?"

"Not like her;" The ghost said, referring to Penny who *slept* in the corner facing upright and with her eyes closed with a pair of headphones around her neck. "Sentient androids just go to sleep whenever then are not actively fighting."

"Like a machine." Ruby said.

"She _is_ a machine, Ruby."

Ruby shook her head as she made her way to the door. "Yeah...but...not like a fax machine. or a printer. Or a Gun..."

"Riiiiiight..." The ghost replied.

Ruby walked over to her "dorm's" bathroom. Back in her days as team leader there was barely any room to move around the bathroom or to have a bathtub. Now the dorm's (At least the ones ofr a the guardians) had been upgraded and contained a huge bathtub, a shower, and a small closet off to the side.

"Umm...can you give me some privacy?" Ruby asked stepping into the bathroom.

"Of course. I'll be checking on the Crypto-archaeologist's progress on decoding that engram. He says that it was taking him all night." The ghost vanished and Ruby took off her clothes and took a warm shower.

After experiencing the chilling cold air of the Cosmodrome Wasteland, warm water was just as welcoming as open arms. Ruby rang her fingers along her long wet maroon hair, wondering if it was worth cutting.

"Maybe I should keep it long...just like Yang...and just like Mom sometimes would..." Ruby thought to herself. Though having long hair also reminded her of her cape, as both fell across her shoulders and onto her back.

"I think your hair looks lovely either way!"

Ruby almost slipped and almost fell but then landed in someone arms with her head and hair against that someone's neck

"Oh, so sorry!" Chimed Penny who held Ruby in her arms and was also undressed. "I'd though I'd surprise you"

"Penny!? What are you doing here?!" Ruby stammered, blushing heavily and covering up her chest. She still hand't gotten used to seeing Penny so...mature and grown up. It almost seemed she was much more beautiful and gorgeous than Ruby had remembered, however Ruby also noticed some faint green glowing veins on her body that looked like circuit boards.

But Ruby was too embarrassed to comment about it.

"I just though...well..." Penny sighed "I've missed you for three hundred years. Sometimes I've had to delete parts of my memory just to move on. But I never will ever delete any of the moments I've spent with you. And then when I finally realized it was you...I just couldn't help but feel so joyful."

Ruby sighed. "Ok then...just...please don't do that again...especially when I am taking showi"

"But we're both girls and its not like I'm doing this to romantically-" Penny replied.

"PENNY! Please...I..." Snapped Ruby who then sighed and said "Please get get your arms off my chest."

"Oh my s-s-orry!" Penny said, though Ruby noticed she seemed to be giggling and even her freckled checks were blushing cheeks. "But now that we're both in here and wet you won't mind if I shower with you right?"

Ruby sighed trying to look at Penny's face and not her tall slender body and with her face blushing so much. "O-Okay...just pass me the shampoo."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"I wasn't at Atlas when it fell." Penny said, leading Ruby through the cafeteria. "My father was though. He wanted me to sneak into other kingdoms and find people worth bringing the Cosmodrone project. However I disregarded the list and went to look for you first."

"You did? Why?" Ruby wondered, taking two muffins from a stand.

"You're my friend Ruby - you were the first person to have considered me to be girl...a real girl..." Penny replied taking a growling blue goop and pouring it into a bowl. Ruby assume that it was a kind of soup for Androids.

"But when the kingdoms rapidly fell, I stayed at beacon academy and prepared to stand against the darkness. And..."

"And what?" Ruby wondered snatching three cookies from the stand and the two moved forward.

"...there were so many on the horizon...they blocked out the sun...landed all around me..." Penny replied in trance-like state as she poured some sweet smelling back liquid into a cup. Ruby was worried her android companion would overfill it but Penny filled it to the brim and continued to carry it without a spill.

"And...then...the traveler arrived...and the cries of those monsters and Grimm dying...and.."

"Penny?" Ruby wondered concerned for her friend.

"I felt...alive...an atlas android helped me up...and spoke to me and...I felt his aura. I felt his soul. Not just for him but for all androids..."

Penny blinked for the first time as she spoke walking over to a scanner embedded in the wall. she placed her plate on the scanner which lit green. "And after that, androids began to...look more human. Almost like me. And so Humans, Fanus, and Andorids have been living together in this tower since then..."

"For three hundred years? Wow..." Ruby gasped

"It may seem like a long time..." Penny replied gesturing to Ruby to use the scanner. "...but it always feels like it was yesterday since we met."

"You told me you had to delete some memory anayway, so why not?" Ruby replied placing her plate on the scanner but it flashed Red. Penny took the plate out and pointed to some of the cookies.

"I think you placed waaaaay too much sugar in there. When a guardian eats she must have a well rounded diet." the android lectured

Ruby groaned.

**_Short chapter but the next one will have action and be much longer I promise. This chapter is just to give a little preview to a nuts and dolts subplot I was thinking of doing (Ruby x older gorgeous and cute Penny). I also want to focus on adding more characters and maybe even start to throw Ruby and Penny out into the new-remnant world. I'm also deciding between having the story take place across several planets or have in all around areas of Remnant such as the Cabal in Vaccuo instead of Mars and what characters should become main characters in the main plot._**

**_Thanks for reading :)_**

**_#keepmovingforawrd_**


	8. A Grand Day Out pt 1

**BEACON TOWER: COURTYARD**

After eating the first breakfast she had in over 200 years, Ruby was guided across the courtyard by Penny. "You still have two hours before you'll need to be deployed for your first mission, so we have a lot of time to look around beacon together!" Penny cheered.

"That we do." Said the ghost who materialized in the air "...but note that your Vanguard, Commander Fox, does not take late attendance lightly...after all he has a reputation and a strict code to live up to everyday."

As they walked across the courtyard, Ruby felt the rising sun paint her in a warm orange. She was now dressed in a light-maroon and black jumpsuit, with small bits of armor plating on her shoulders thighs and knees. Penny even bought Ruby a cape from the guardian outfitter Eva Levante though it did not have rose petals flowing from it. Eva had said to Ruby said that although Dust-infused clothing wasn't done much due to fact others saw dust as better fitted for transports and weapons, she still remembered how to sew dust into clothing (as it was a family tradition) and would gladly make a Dust infused cape for Ruby with some glimmer and some materials from the wasteland.

Trying her long red hair into a pony tail, Ruby and Penny approached a gunsmith stand. Despite the weapons that were displayed, no one else was bothering to even acknowledge it. Or even acknowledge the the heavily armored ginger sighing sadly behind it.

"Salutations!" Penny cried out. The ginger looked up at both Ruby and penny with surprise in her blue eyes. Her hair was braided and went past her shoulder. Her white-gold armor planting - which looked as if it was put together from several pieces of other equipment from Mistral and Atlas - covered every limb of her body minus her head, though Ruby saw a helmet with a T-shape visor and a red crest on a crate behind her. Wrapped around her waist and under her utility belt was a tattered maroon-yellow cloth.

"Oh...hey Penny. Who's your friend?" The ginger asked.

"This is Ruby!" Penny introduced "We're going shopping - so I thought I'd stop by your place."

"That's...real nice Penny..." Shrugged the ginger "But I'm afraid I don't have any in store that can compete with the items guardians find in the wild or buy from the tower factions. Only guardians-in-training buy from me."

"Lucky for us, my friend Ruby here needs a weapon that just for a guardian in training - she's already got a special engram from - "

" - Anyway...We were hopping if you have anything in stock that was...uh...good for me! You know...something that packs a punch but isn't an automatic.." Ruby interrupted, briefly reminding Penny through a glare to keep quiet about how Ruby got the engram.

The ginger then placed out three weapons onto her stand, all of them looking rather dull and grey "Lets see...I've got magnum - good for short to long range and is compatible with other dust types. This Scout rile fires one-bullet at time - fitting for people who don't have much skill with sniper rifles, but lacks the punch. And then there is the pulse rile - same thing but it fires three-round bursts..."

"What about that weapon?" Ruby pointed past the guardian at a thin red-gold rifle that was turning grey with old age. Its markings and design look really ancient and familiar to Ruby.

"Oh...that old gun its not for sale..." The Ginger said, walking over to the gun and placing in back in the crate.

"Why not? It looks pretty co..." Ruby stopped in mid sentence as she saw markings on the cloth hanging from the Ginger's waist. It was a Crescent and spear in front of it.

"Its a family heirloom..." sighed the Ginger "...and I can't even fix it..."

"Jaune...Pyrrha...?" Ruby wondered aloud and at a loss for words upon seeing their symbols on the cloth around the ginger's waist. She was now reminded again of how much time she had missed with her long gone friends.

The ginger turned around, going from mopey and sad to looking very interested and exited "You know about my great-great-grandparents?"

"Uh...yeah...kinda..." Ruby replied.

"Man...its hard to come across anyone these days who cares about Jaune Arc or Pyrrha Nikos these days..."

"You make it sound like Jaune was famous..." Ruby said.

The Ginger replied "He...he was - he actually cheated his way into Beacon tower - sorry Academy I mean - and he fell in love with the great champion Pyrrha Nikos, thought . Its like a wonderful love-story. When the darkness attacked remnant, Jaune returned to Beacon and stood alongside Pyrrha...then...they...accidentally started a family afterwards."

"Accidentally?" Ruby asked.

"Well...there was this party...and it was Jaune and Pyrrha..spent the night together...and had their first child - my great grand-father. And since then the Arkos family line has continued all the way down to me, Aranci Arkos. Arkos is short for Arc-Nikos by the way."

"Well...that's...pretty neat. I bet you are famous across Remnant...or...whatever civilization is left of it..." Ruby said.

"I...kinda wish...many people just view the Arkos story as some love story that was make up by both of our families long ago; if not then are they are just two more names in history textbooks. People these days look to legends that live in the present, such as the Iron Gauntlet champion Winchester or that sole-survivor 'Old Oobleck'. And because of that...I'm stuck here trying to sell weapons, so I can get parts to fix my great-great grandmother's gun..."

"Wow...I'm sorry... but as they say - harder struggles sometimes breed greater successes..." Ruby assured. "Right Penny...Penny?"

Ruby was surprised to see her android has disappeared so suddenly.

_She may be older...and prettier...but she still leaves as quickly as she arrives._

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-

"Here you go, Cotton; one warlock band." the Cryptarch presented; despite the fact it was simple in design compared to the other exotic band warlocks wore, Cotton was pleased to acquired such an item to complete his wardrobe.

As he was walking away from the Cryptarch, his scroll buzzed in his robe's pocket.

"Hello?" Cotton spoke into his scroll

_"Hey Cotton-Candi, its Aranci Arkos..." _Cotton rolled his eyes at the sound of the ridiculous nickname Aranci gave him - mostly due to the unusually pink coloration of his warlock powers. _"Have you seen Penny anywhere? She was just at my shop and then she just left all of sudden."_

"She's always like that...hence why the Vanguards call her 'the lone beowolf'" Cotton said "I'll keep an eye out for her..."

No sooner then he said that, his keen ears heard the click of gun being cocked, He turned around and saw that Cryptarch his face full of fear and much paler than usual in-front of a hodded figure. Two other hooded figures joined in and the Cryptarch looked across the courtyard to Cotton.

"Actually...I've got to help someone out now. If you hear a commotion in the Courtyard, then I'm dealing with it. Cotton out..."

_"Um...okay...what does that mean exactly? Cotton? Cotton?"_

Cotton didn't answer as he checked to make sure his void grenades were ready and that his rocket launcher was with him. Adjusting his dark green trench coat and then brushing a few of his black-coral hairs to the side, he pulled out two SMGs (They were actually stripped down autorifles) and marched towards the Cryptarch's stand narrowing his turquoise eyes.

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-

"Give me the engram." Hissed the hooded figure with a revolver gun at the Crytarch. "Scream, and I will blow a hole between your red eyes..."

"Which one?" the Cryptarch asked, worriedly.

"That blue one." The hooded figure pointing to the blue engram that the Cryptarch was decoding for Ruby. The Crytarch frowned, knowing how much he would disappoint a new customer; but if he resisted and was killed he was certain they'd take the engram anyway.

Just as the Cryptarch picked up the engram, the hooded figure's head exploded and reset of his body dissolved into pieces before the Crytarch. The two other hooded figures turned around and saw Cotton walking towards them with SMGs in his hands. Remaining silent his glare told the two hooded figures to surrender.

However, one them charged straight towards him with a blade, faster than the eye could track. Cotton was knocked back, losing ahold of his weapons with his aura was almost gone.

_Damn - that was Blade dancer...but...who is the other guy?_

The the other hooded figure had his fists charged up and crackling with electricity. Cotton, as he struggled to get up, identified this foe a titan with "fists of havoc" (Aka: a Striker); such weapons were quite ruthless tools in Crucible matches.

The strikes leaped forward and bought his fists down, but Cotton rolled out of the way while striker created a crater in the floor. Cotton got up on his feet and blasted void energy into the striker's face.

The striker took the hit and in return he lunged his electrical fist forward. Cotton evaded it via a backflip and in midair hurled two void grenades at the Striker. In brilliant blaze of purple and pink the Striker was sent flying across the courtyard. Cotton assume he'd land somewhere within the courtyard though the striker went flying over the railing and into the lake below.

Cotton then waited for his ghost to appear so that the Strike could be respawned and captured. But nothing happened. Cotton looked over to where he shot the hooded figure who held the gun and his ghost didn't spawn either - Which meant Cotton had just killed off two people - permanently.

_They are just like the Grimm and the darkness - either they have no soul or no light - or both..._

He - and the crowd forming around him - were so shocked they didn't see the Bladerdancer lunge for Cotton behind him.

Cotton cried out in pain and collapsed to the group while the Bladedancer hefted up his rocket launcher. Cotton tried to see who his foe was under the hood but he couldn't get a good angle to see his face - his skin certainly looked pale but Cotton was not sure if he was Awoken or Human...or something else.

Cotton shivered as the barrel of the launcher was used to in him down, waiting for the moment he was noting but ashes...

However, sprinting out from the crowd was a glowing-green-eyed and oranges haired hunter. She then kicked the Bladedancer off of Cotton. The blade dancer then landed on both feet holding Cotton's rocket launcher in one hand and a blade in the other.

"Ghost, attend to Cotton's Woulds. This one is mine..." Penny requested to her ghost as she approached the Blander dancer, levitating her own custom blades.

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's a wrap for today; I'm gonna push myself to get another chapter out next week because the week after that I return to College. Maybe I'll also try doing a RWBY one-shot (or two). Overall what do you guys think of Cotton (that's not his real name though) and Aranci Arkos? After Yang's chapter, I didn't want it to feel like the entire team instantly gets back together after 300 years.**

**I may draw their faces sometime in the future**


	9. A Grand Day Out pt 2

Penny's Blades spun around her waist like a ballerina's dress. She stepped forward and hurled them at the hooded Bladedancer

The bladedancer waited for the right moment, and whizzed past each of them. He bought his knife up to stab only to have Penny grip Blade dancer's neck and wrestle the knife out of his hand.

**"Who are you!?"** Penny barked, raising the her voice's volume and turning into a robotic, unfriendly tone. She couldn't see the stranger's but it had certainly pale wrinkly skin. However her scanner did not detect the bladedancer as awoken...instead it seemed perfectly human, though Penny's scanners read that he wasn't alive at all - or breathing.

The Bladedancer didn't raise his gaze but instead gripped Penny's arm. That's when Penny felt her own grip loosen and her robotic arm go numb, as if the human carried some superhuman strength. With the other hand, the Bladedancer rammed a punch into Penny's face, which surprisingly felt more powerful than any human, even a titan was capable of.

Penny called her swords back to her, only to witness the Bladedancer teleporting all around her, swinging and lunging his knife. Penny's swords orbited around her at high speeds to deflect most of the attacks. The Bladedancer found an opening a lunged his knife forward only to Penny dodge it again and pull his armed hand forward in the path of his blades.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Ruby and Aranci Arkos heard the scream and rushed though the crowd but they only found Penny, her blades still levitating examining the knife. There were no sign of the combatants anywhere. A guardian in green trenchcoat and black and orange hair next to Penny got back on his feet wondering what was going on.

"Penny? Whats going on?" Ruby wondered, both mystified and terrified of seeing Penny having her blades out again and looking tense.

Penny said nothing and tossed the blade at Aranci who nervously juggled it in her hand until she caught it in mid-air. Examining the blade, Aranci uttered "Wait...I sold this blade to a guardian about week ago; he wanted Cotton to craft the bottom of the hilt to resemble - "

"The head of a nevermore; This hunter went missing a long time ago only to pop up now..." Penny said looking quite grave.

"Do we know anything about him?" Ruby said, flicking her ponytail nervously

"He and his team went missing in the wastelands a few days ago..." Penny bought up. "Near the same area where I found you..."

Just then, Ruby's ghost appeared.

"Vanguard Commander Fox will want us to come by soon. We better see how the Crypto-Archaeologist has our engram decoded and then leave."

"But what about..." Ruby began only to be interrupted by the ghost.

"You friends will take it from here Ruby." The ghost simply said.

Ruby groaned but understood. Penny wrapped an arm around her, smiling warmly.

"Don't worry Ruby; You can still contact us in the wasteland."

Smiling Ruby nodded...and even blushed. Walking away from Penny and Aranci, Ruby scratched her head wonderful why she was was acting this way in front of Penny so much. _Maybe it's was just because she's happy...or maybe its because I think she looks pretty with those ginger curls and green eyes... or...Maybe its because we have something common; we're both 300 years old..._

Walking up to the Crypto-Archaeologist, who hastily put up a "SORRY WE ARE CLOSED" adding in marker "FOR A WHILE." Ruby tried to give a kind smile to shocked old man saying "Hi - is my engram is ready?"

"Why...yes..." the Crypto-Archaeologist nodded, pulling out the blue engram and shoving in into Ruby's arms.

"Allow me." Ruby's ghost said, scanning the engram until it glowed and transformed. Ruby even felt that the new shape it was taking was much heavier. Then it stopped glowing and transforming. In Ruby's arms was a red-black half-blockly half curvy sniper fire.

Her Jaw dropped at her luck and her eyes shined. Now that she had a matching weapon and uniform...it was starting to feel closer and closer to old times.

"Ah...Prudence II." the Crypto-Archaeologist identified "Quite a rare style rifle requires alot of experience to use."

"Oh don't worry...I've got experience alright." Ruby grinned as she dashed over to the Vanguard hall.

The Crypto-Archaeologist smiled only to have his scroll buzz. answering it he found out it was the speaker.

_"Did you give her the item?"_

"Absolutely sir...thought why her? I though she said that she was just going to start training - but the today she tells me she has prior training...also why did you want me to swipe out the item that was already in the engram? She would do much better with an auto-rile than a sniper rifle-"

_"Leave that to me, Crypto-Archaeologist. This girl means the whole world to me...And remember; you will treat her just as everyone else in public."_

"Understood." Crypto-Archaeologist whispered.

_"Understood, who?"_

"...Understood, _Sir._"Crypto-Archaeologist stressed.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**THIRTY MINUTES LATER**

**SPEAKER'S OFFICE**

"So the attackers had no ghosts, and evidence suggests that they are former Gaurdians?" the Speaker asked.

"Once could call them Zombies yes..." Aranci said, shyly grinning but no one else - Penny, Cotton, or the speaker especially - showed any signs of humor.

The speaker turned to Penny. "Penny...take Ms. Arkos and Mr. Ren..." - Cotton winced at the sound of his real name - "..and investigate where these guardians came from, how they had their ghosts stolen, and why they tried to attack us."

"Yes sir." Penny saluted, leading her team to the office exit.

The speaker then looked back to his desk finding another message coming up. It was from "the Sunsinger" and marked as urgent

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

**ATLESIAN COSMODROME**

Prudence II still felt like it could use a massive scythe blade, but Ruby found some joy in shooting off the heads of Beowolves from afar.

"Well...that was impressive...unusually impressive for a new recruit." Vanguard Commander Fox said.

Ruby shrugged. "Eh piece of cake...I could use a bigger challenge."

Commander Fox narrowed his eyes.

"If so then I recommend hunting a target for me; a Fallen Captain...specifically one who is trained in taming Nevermores."

"Ah...okay...do you know where he is?"

Commander Fox thought for a moment, and then he opened up his scroll showing the Location to Ruby and her ghost.

"He's a long ways away from here. You'll need a speeder-bike to reach his location before the day ends."

"And why is that?" Ruby wondered.

"Towards the end of the day Fallen ride their tamed nevermores and prey on guardians who wander these abandoned ruins under the shattered moon." Fox explained "It would harder for you to track him in the air unless he came ."

"So I will need a speeder? Where am I going to find the parts?" Ruby wondered.

Commander fox tapped a few buttons into his scroll and then a his drop ship flew right above him drop a speeder which hovered above the ground it was yellow and orange almost like Yang's bike. Ruby saw that parts of bike glowed brightly, displaying that it was dust powered.

While her ghost was busy calculating the distance to the location of their target, Ruby got on the speeder...and it felt strange that she was going to be driving a vehicle for the first time in her life.

Ruby sighed "Yang always promised we could go racing outside of the city once I got my drivers license..."

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

_300 years ago_

_"Two and a half months..." Ruby groaned. It was two and half months since Blake and Weiss came to visit. And for a good reason; they were busy with exams and their team had been preforming so well, they were chosen to go all over Remnant and study other teams at other schools..._

_Ruby knew that if she wasn't thrown out of Beacon, she could have participated in this too. Instead she was spending her day off under a gloomy sky in a cafe, twirling her spoon. She ditched her hunter attire and wore jeans, sneakers, and a coat. She didn't even feel like bringing her cape._

_"What am I going to do with my life..." Ruby wondered aloud, with no one around to see her. __"Beacon...Yang...Zwei...dad...mom...Jaune...my team..."_

_Ruby looked up as if asking some god. "What am I supposed to live for anyway?"_

_"Perhaps its for something in the future."_

_Ruby glanced up and found a tall Woman facing her wearing a red dress. Her hair was a black and her eyes glowing orange. To Ruby she looked awfully gorgeous but she didn't feel any attraction to her._

_"Wait..." Ruby studied "You are that transfer student from Haven..."_

_"Of course. I'm glad to see you remember me." the woman grinned "Mind if I take a seat?"_

_"Uh...sure..." Ruby nodded, "I could use someone to talk to. I'm Ruby by the way."_

_"I'm Cinder." the woman replied. "And I have an offer."_

**(Please read the following)**

**Hey guys...**

**Sorry if this feels rushed or is filled with cliffhangers... I was not feeling too well while making this****.**

**Before there were two paragraphs of how much life sucked and how life was terrible. But...I went outside I pulled up some messages from the past I thought were really motivational...that kinda helped.**

**Also its now officially one year since I got into RWBY...so...yeah. I'll see if can celebrate in some way.**


	10. Six-three-six

**_After three years in the MLP fandom, I started three stories and finished two stories, one of them known as Sunset Shimmer New Beginnings. Since then I've been thinking that writing isn't really what I want to do for the rest of my life, so I turned to art and animation. and I'm proud of my animations, especially my two Monty Oum tribute and my dancing Lie Ren._**

**_But Recently in the midst of college and my job and the art. I'm surprised this story is still getting followed and faved. Normally i write a fanfiction so I can be happy its out and then forget about it, but now I really want to try to continue this idea because you've shown me you are interested in it and now I'm looking at it myself and I'm like "Wow...Even I like it too."_**

**_I've been feeling upset, anxious, suicidal even...I know what major I want and I know I'm in good place,but its the crushing questions of "Do I matter?" and "What I have I done compared to others?" that makes me want to recede from the world. And I do, but I want to get busy with doing something to remind me I belong here. So I've come back to this fiction._**

**_Thinking about it I will set times during the week to work on it. I want to at least get one more RWBY fiction out there during my life._**

**_Thanks_**

**_Love,_**

**_Mudslingerartist/Mudslinger077 _**

* * *

**ATLAS COSMODRONE **

"YEEEEEEEE-HA-oof!" Ruby cried, she and her sparrow-bike rolled down a dirt hill.

*Seriously, when I say "take it slow" I mean literally take it slow - Your Vangaurd left for the tower telling us to regroup with any guardian patrols. Until then, our only form of transporting across the the wasteland is your sparrow.*

As Ruby stood up and brushed herself off, also seeing her cloak was quickly tearing up much like Her Uncle Qrow's. Ruby found it quite...funny. Her hair was long and waving like her mothers, and her sparrow-bike was like Yang's cycle.

Setting aside her nostalgia for another time Ruby got back onto the bike, and zipped across the wasteland, passing rusted bullheads and airships. She would see a few skeletons here and there, making her cringe and wonder where she ended up.

*Movement; Hide!* The ghost warned. Though as he said it, Ruby was already off her sparrow and darting into the wreckage of a bullhead. After the ghost took care of de-materializing her sparrow, Ruby crept up to the cockpit of the Bullhead and pulled out _Prudence II, _to get a better sniping position.

Sure enough there was movement crossing the bullhead slowly was death stalker, decorated in makeshift armor, moaning and groaning under the weight of its artificial coating. Riding the death stalker was a Fallen captain, hefting two large machine guns in both his hands. Flanking on either side were two usra ridden by fallen vangaurds.

"That fallen Captain is known as "Rahn" - Rahn of the house of house devils." the Ghost warned. Ruby could care less as the ghost provided information on the captain. Her worry was on the death stalker and two ursa. According to Professor Oobleck (or was it Port?) These grimm were smarter and stronger judging from their size compared to beowolves Ruby took down last night.

_*Maybe if I just keep my cover...and avoid thinking of negative thoughts...both the grimm and the fallen shouldn't detect me...*_

Ruby Slowly crept back only to trip on her cape and crash onto the cockpit floor, head first. Immediately afterwards, she heard fallen barking orders and grimm screeching.

Unknown to her, The death stalker rammed itself into the side of the bullhead and Ruby felt it flipping over. As result her body was throw into the air and crashing through the cockpit windshield, slamming face first into the dirt.

Spiting out the dirt, Ruby rolled out of the way as a the mounted death stalker's tail struck where she landed. The force sent her into the air, but Ruby, pulled out her sniper rifle and released a volley of sniper shots while flying into a open clearing.

Two bounced harmlessly off the death stalkers armor, also missing Captain Rahn. The other two however, caused each Fallen vangaurd's head to explode, the rest of thier body going limp on the ursa's the rode, who appeared to have their jaws open in awe.

Reloading fresh clip into Prudence II and pulling up her hood, Ruby summoned her Sparrow in Mid-air. She made a U-trun and drove towards the rahn's enraged death stalker, and the two Ursa with the limp headless corpses of their riders dancing on their backs.

Rahn opened fire with his machine guns, sparing the area in bullets and forcing Ruby to detour around Rahn's Death Stalker's claw and close one of the the Ursa who were close to sandwiching her. Which gave Ruby an idea.

Leaping off her Sparrow and onto the back of the Beowulf, only to back flip and clutch the death stalker by its poisonous stinger. Ruby unsheathed her knife and jabbed it into the death stalker stinger, causing it dislodge from the stalker. the death stalker hollowed painfully and spun in circles.

Ruby leapt down onto Rahn's shoulder, held his helmeted head in place with her tights and jabbed the knife right in the middle of his helmet's four "eyes". As Rahn's screaming joined his death stalkers, Ruby rolled off the death stalker again and fired off three of the Captain arms and his head.

Behind Ruby, an Ursa readied to swipe its claws. But Ruby whacked the ursa in the stomach with her rifle and fired the last shot in the magazine at its head. The Other Ursa raced towards Ruby, knocking the death stalker to the side and snarling with hate.

Ruby dashed towards the ursa spiriting at high speeds, and pulling out her hunting knife from a Rahn's by the trick Wiess taught her, she zipped all around the Ursa at lighting speed, hitting it in its critical areas and leaving it unable to attack.

With her last slash bringing the ursa to its knees. Ruby reloaded her sniper rifle and focused on bringing down the death stalker.

* * *

"That was...amazing" The ghost breath "I think you might actually be getting some of your aura back along with your working memory." The ghost praised.

"Meh...I drank milk, like everyone else." Ruby chimed. walking over to the now limpness death stalker slowly dissolving away, like Grim tend to do. It artificial armor that its former captain provided was left behind allowing Ruby to studying the house of devils's markings, dents bullet holes, and explosion marks,...and curiously an opened hatch within the armor.

"Its not uncommon for fallen to have stored their belongs in Grimm armor." said the ghost

Ruby reached into the container and wedged out a broken scroll. It was much like the ones ozpin used to carry around but now it was damaged and covered in grease.

Activating it, Ruby was surprised to find the face of General Ironwood on it, with a login for a username and password. The ghost attempted to hack the scroll only to report it was locked and damaged.

"My scans detect the data is still salvageable but we would need to find a facility here with a working computer. That or we could take it back to the tower right away if we could find a team of guardians..."

"Lets try searching for others - its getting lonely around here." Ruby said, not noticing that now the Grimm and their riders had dissolved into ashes.

* * *

Ruby was surprised to find that the ghost led her back to the wall where she made her way into the Cosmodorne wasteland. Sure enough, it was still the same.

The ghost led Ruby into facility 636, detecting the presence of guardians strangely below them. Ruby crept into the facility and her ghost materialized next to her, lighting the room in front of her.

Ruby scanned the area, and then decided to head down the stairs into facility's levels, for what seemed to be hours. Ruby also noticed that the rooms got darker, overgrown and had been declared with banners of nevermore skulls, which the ghost said belonged to the lost Fallen house of hunters. There were also fresh dust cartilages on the floor and faint boot-prints

"Guardians - they are nearby - we should hurry." the ghost advised."They are moving fast I'm losing their signal.'

"No worries" Ruby replied prying a nearby vent off its hinges and crawling through the ducts, holding her nose from smelling a foul stench and sneezing from the dust.

* * *

Penny approached a large computer screen, which her ghost finished scanning.

"The computer system require access via Ironwood's personal information."

"That will be something we have to come back for another time." Penny said. "For now I want to find out who was responsible for manipulating those guardians against us." Penny said, dismissing her ghost. Still she knew the computer could have held some more data on the area and if there were things like warehouses or resources that could tell them where it was.

She headed back to the Aranci and Cotton who were getting ready to breach into the room.

"Its just Fallen," Aranci said.

"Remember - if you see another guardian that looked like one of the attackers there - try to take him alive." Penny advised reading her swords.

* * *

Ruby continued on in the dark and cramped vent, feeling that she was moving away from the gunfire and closer to the source of the stench. the ghost commented that if they weren't in a hurry, They should have taken an elevator.

But there was no need for that as Ruby pulled off the opening to another vent and leaped into a dark room, filled with glowing green crystals.

"Oh... we should get going.." the ghost realized.

"From what?" Ruby wondered. She could hear something scratching the wall and snarling.

Ruby tip-toed and made sure her sniper rifle was full. She peeked around a corner and could find a dark shape huddled in a corner. It look too thin

"A thrall." Whispered the Ghost "Maybe if we leave it be-"

"Nah, its an Easy picking," Ruby grinned, Pulling her Sniper Rifle out and wiping the hive's head clean off.

Following the echo of her rifle in the dark space was the sound of snarling and growling coming behind her. Several sets of Lime green eyes tracked Ruby's movements. Meanwhile, more thrall began to hiss and screech slowly approaching the huntress in training.

Then Ruby could supposedly hear faint gunfire coming from another level of the room.

"Picking up a team of guardians on this level - RUN!" Ruby did so, leaving a trail of rose pedals and perusing Hive unit behind her.

* * *

Ramming the butt of her red-and-yellow Mustket into a Fallen Dreg's skull, Aranci Arkos Finished off the the last of the resistance in the dimly lit room now littered in corpses. All Fallen - not one of them like attackers at the tower.

Penny proceeded to scan the room for information or equipment, using her ghost to light the underground lab located within the cosmodrone. Though like the upper levels of the facility, it was overrun with plants and rust and was stripped of power and supplies, but it had survived pretty well from cave ins and Grimm on the outside dared wander in.

A fallen Clan, the House of Hunters, had made their home within this facility after they engaged in space battle with a rival house, The devils. Taking shelter in the labs, the fallen clan were forced to stay on earth having all their ships destroyed and a majority of their clan wiped out or taken prisoner. Years afterwards they were hungry, weakened, counting how many days it would be before the house of hunters was nothing but a name in history codex entries.

"Cotton...get the door." Penny order, wiping off Fallen blood from one of her blades. Hearing her voice echoing though the dark since they began to purge their way through the underground facility in search of who those attackers were at the tower felt so surreal to Aranci.

Silently, Cotton put his smoking SMG's away released his ghost to hack away at the door with its blue laser beam. Feeling the adrenaline and tension slowly die down inside her, Aranci came up next to him.

"Hey uh...with you busy going out on missions like this and me trying to make a living as a gunsmith...we've had never had time to talk..."

"What' do you mean? You text me almost everyday..." Cotton wondered, fixing his robe trying to look busy and not up for conversation. He traded his plain green one for a variant decorated with patterns of thunderstorms, flowers, and hammer.

"Yeah...but we never had time to talk about why you don't like your real name..."

Cotton's eyes darted to Penny who's curiosity was captured though a datapad that was on the floor. It wasn't a concern weather penny knew or not, but Cotton felt better talking to just one person about it rather than two, especially knowing how inquisitive Penny was.

" Its just that, I'm not worthy of the name *Ren*." Cotton explained "I grew up as a villager on outskirts, away from the beacon tower. Then one day armies of Goliath - ridden by Fallen - charge through out fields and destroy my Family's livestock and kill my family. Had my great-grander not decide to become a farmer we could have defended our property and - heck live a better a life than-."

"Your great grandfather _retired._ Sort of" corrected Aranci "Lie Ren and Nora continued to fight as guardians after the traveler appeared only to settle down and raise a huge family..."

"That's what you heard." Cotten hissed "The real story is that Ren was dying from an unknown condition and instead of going to hospital he ran away with his partner. He didn't want to continue being the warrior your grandparents were. Not when he thought there were other things to look forward to in life. "

"His life was short." Aranci said, putting on hand on Cotton's lavender shoulder paldon. Cotton's magenta eyes darted away only for Aranci to shake his shoulder and fore them to look at her aqua eyes under her ginger hair. "And Ren wanted to spend it with people he cared about and doing things beyond fighting. Just because Lie Ren didn't stay as the warrior you wished him to be doesn't mean he was worthless as you think he is..."

Cotton felt, shameful, "That's...why I don't think I deserve to have his name..."

"Cotton..."

Cotton and Aranci turned to find Penny crossing her arms and looking at both of them, seeming to be half a foot taller than them. Her bight green eyes robotic eyes felt so...alien.

"Just know that Lie Ren focused on doing what he wanted to make his life better, and you should do the same to yours. And its okay to have different methods of making your lives better; he wanted to be a farmer and start a family; and you want to be one of the best warlocks. That's okay with all us and I'm sure that's okay with him...but don't pretend you aren't a part of him just because you want to be your own person." Penny said. "Three hundred years ago, If Ren could see you, he would feel so honored. Nora would hug you and drench you in tears."

After a bit a silence, cotton said "Thanks Penny..." twirling his orange-black hair.

"Mind if I call you "Ren" then? "Cotton" sounds weird for a warlock..." Aranci said.

"Well our family did farm cotton and sold it to outfitters in the tower." Cotton/Ren Shrugged.

Just then the door opened, out dashed Ruby Rose, knocking away Cotton's ghost. Behind her were a trail of rose pedals floating in the same space where bolts were zipping around Ruby.

"HI PENNY BYE PENNY ITSNOTMYFAULT!" Rose cried, Taking cover behind an overturned table, pulling out _Prudence II_ and firing shots into the dark tunnel where lime-green eyes and blocky shapes began charging at the four hunters.

"HIVE!" Ren/Cotton Altered as he readied two pulse grenades

* * *

_**300 years ago**_

_**City of Vale**_

_Cinder sipped her tea telling Ruby she was part of secret organization meant to take down other secret organizations._

_"And you and I have something in common - we both were kicked out of beacon by the new headmaster."_

_"Why you?" Ruby wondered_

_"Well..." Cinder thought, thinking of a lie, "I wasn't expelled but lets say that after I was prying into his personal files, he wasted no time in telling me not to come back. But I did the right thing in trusting my instincts - I found out that Ironword had lent him Ozpin's position."_

_Ruby's face "What? But they were friends they couldn't do...anything like that..." Thought Ruby had never seen them fight, she knew Ironwood's militaristic approach and Ozpin's trust and leniency would perhaps have gotten into conflict._

_"Friends don't always stay like that Ruby." Cinder noted. "Anyway...I need someone...of your skill..."_

_"To do what?" Ruby wondered._

_Cinder looked around, she nodded to two people at another table who were looking right at them. One had silver hair and pale skin and another had green hair with dark skin. Both nodded back._

_Still confused but listening intently, Ruby was handed a folder. The images inside it resembled rocket ships, along with documents describing "Fallback plans" and "Restarting amongst the stars" and "Facility 636"_

_"You've head of the atlas Chosmodrone? And the riots in Haven? And the lynching in Vacco of four suspected white fang members?"_

_Ruby shook her head. " But I have heard there is an increasing number Huntresses being killed, I've heard of Vale's new policy on limiting dust usage."_

_"The world is ending, little Ruby." Cinder sighed, finishing her teacup "The kingdoms are drifting away, each one in a free-for-all after Vale's breach and after patch's destruction. This headmaster is one of those people trying to keep us in dark to pretend that its all over. No...it's just beginning. The riots, the deaths, the breaking of alliances between friends and Nation. Ironwood has forseen this and is planning something in atlas. Something he and that headmaster is keeping us in the dark about."_

_"So you want me to go to atlas and spy on him?"_

_"That's something down the line I might have you do, but for now, getting you into beacon and spying on this headmaster himself."_

_"Ok..." Ruby said "I don't know why I should trust you..."_

_"Look...we both got kicked out of beacon, we both are at the mercy of all the kingdoms going against each other and falling apart, and we both know the real threat is the Grimm and white fang. And we are acting upon it - just like Ozpin would have wanted us to do."_

_Ruby's heart sank briefly before she said "I'll need to think about it..." In response cinder put a card in the folder and walked away._

_"Contact me within 24 hours if you interested. And know there is no going back."_

_Cinder approached two other people at the table, grinning._

_"We may have our scapegoat for our operation after all..."_


	11. Six-three-six Pt 2

**(Feel like my writing is kinda rusty so I'm going to do some "slice of life"-nonaction chapters next)**

* * *

**SPEAKER'S OFFICE**

"Greetings..." the speaker began but was silenced by a wave of sunsinger's gauntlet

"My name is my own business," the Sunsinger said, removing her helmet Displaying banged up face and broken nose that once belonged to pretty face. "Okay...so...the shard of the traveler is gone. But I've kept the cabal off of Mars's moons and I completed a few of the queen's bounties."

The speaker sighed "If Only the queen and her awoken had more of alliance with us, we could challenge the darkness...Instead she she keeps to herself."

The Sunsinger took a seat. "Hard to believe its just penny and me now. I barely want to talk to her...its...sad...knowing that its just the two of us. It feels like the team feel apart so fast right after I left..."

"Things do have a end..." the speaker between sipping a coffee mug, which remember finding in a safe beneath desk. "Whether it was in your control or not..."

Yang was quiet, thought the speaker could tell she was occupied in her own mind and silently blaming herself.

"You may wish to know something of great importance." The speaker said taking his scroll and showing footage of red-haired girl in hunter armor hefting anew sniper rifle about to board a transport with her vanguard.

"Your sister has returned."

The sunsinger covered her mouth, and her eyes teared up before crying. "Oh god...How is this possible? what kind of sister am I?"

The speaker reached over and patted her back. "Would you to meet her?"

Yang frowned. "I...I'm not ready...I can't face her after...what I found out about her and the home...I bet she has moved on. All because I wasn't at her side...I'm not needed anymore..."

"True...though she just needs a few more days to adjust into her new life and then I'm sure she would want to see you."

* * *

"Okay...you have to drive across the Fallen invested highway...without using any ranged weapons." Ruby said.

"BS; I'd rather take care of baby thrall. Or maybe have two Ursa minors as pets." Shrugged Aranci, Wiping Hive blood off her boots.

The skirmish was over pretty quickly thanks to Penny. The proof that there were Hive down here probably suggested that they were planning on using this base for their turf war against the fallen. It was likely they only assumed a few fallen would be in Facility 636 to they came in small scouting squads, never suspecting guardians.

Penny called the two of them over to see her work. She connected the data pad Ruby has found and hooked it up to computer which had granted them access and was beginning to download files.

"Now all we do is wait. This tech would have taken hours to crack and revive. Fortunately I'm really familiar with old tech..." Penny said "Infact, I think I worked with at this station before."

* * *

**300 Years ago**

**SECRET ATLESIAN COSMODRONE**

**FACILITY 636**

_Penny frowned at the sign of seeing her message to Ruby didn't get sent due to security concerns. After the destruction of Vale Iron had assigned her to the cosmodrone to "Oversee" production of ships and the monitor for any signs of life amongst the stars and planets. But as she stayed before her commuter for months now, doing work nonstop, Penny began to wonder if Ironwood wanted to protect her because she was valuable as a synthetic creation._

_A worker came over to penny and placed two powerful dust batteries. Penny willingly took them, and allowed the energy to race between her fingers and into her Body. It was just like the human equivalent to coffee. Only coffee beans weren't resource some kingdoms felt like limiting access to today, unlike dust._

_Penny's aura then picked up another presence entering the room. She closed the message feed and spun around and out of her chair, saluting as she saw Ironwood march up to her._

"At ease,"_ the general said, looking rather sleep deprived and bit unshaven. Penny counted that there were fifty more grey hairs on the side of his head._

_Penny lower her salute and showed the general what she had found._

_"There are three other places we could try to inhabit in our solar system; the moon appears to some traces of dust crystals, even though it's lacking atmosphere..."_

_"We'll send in a expedition team and have people mine dust and whatever minerals." Ironwood declared, as if practicing a speech._

_"On this other planet which we've codenamed *Venus* contains a dense atmosphere and on *Mars* we have less of one. With our technology, we could have small settlements on them."_

_"Excellent work Penny." Ironwood said. "Any signs of life on those planets?"_

_Penny shook her head. "No sir..."_

_"Good...continue analyzing and then I want you to do something for me: We need to find people too take with us on this expedition."_

_"I've just made the list sir!" Penny cheered. Yet ironwood held a hand up._

_"You sent me the list before and I've had to decline it. Penny. I can't bring every kind of person that is a friend."_

_Penny's robotic eyes starred into Ironwoods soul. Ironwood knew penny wouldn't break down and cry. No it was worse; he knew she would stay there motionless, trying think of ways or calculations to convince him to let her friends aboard._

_Ironwood couldn't allow it. From his experience in the military, he knew to only take those he could trust. He knew he had to remove people in power for the greater good. And he knew he would have to make a hard choice._

_"Back to your station." Ironwood ordered._

_Penny still starred at him._

_"Penny." Ironwood urged. This time the android complied and returned to the monitor._

_"She can't possibly be...rebelling right?" Ironwood though. The last thing he wanted was to have Penny deactivated for good._

_"In that case I'll have her mind wipe and just send her to other kingdoms to find people. She deserves to enjoy remnant and its people as much as she can one last time before we leave it for good"_

* * *

The screen boot up and showed a diagram of planets and moons revolving around the sun.

"Our solar system...and it appears" to have records of departures?"

"Departure from Remnant?" Aranci Said, but Penny took a seat and started tapping, opening up more wall of texts and diagrams.

Ren sudden began to pick up movement elsewhere in facility, yet penny quickly shushed him. As result Ren moved into the dark and used his ghost as flashlight.

"What does it mean?" Ruby said starting at the walls of texts Penny was going through.

"Some of the ships on the cosmodrone have made it beyond Remnant. If I can just look at some more of these-"

Penny was cut off as she picked up something rapidly approaching her head. She rolled off the chair and pulled out a mangum. She unloaded all of it into an invisible fore before he hit the more.

Aranci however, felt a blade uppercut across her back, making her scream until she hot the floor. Ruby sensed what was going to happen and sliced at a vandal behind her. Ren came running back firing off void energy from his palm. It was tracking more invisible Vandal around the area blowing them into violet-red ashes.

Penny set the computer to download as much into as it could to the scroll. "We'll hold up here until everything we can get is download-

then the power went out.

"You were saying?" Ruby's ghost asked.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to find the exit to facility 636; it was possible the place was still crawling with Fallen from the house of hunters, but it wasn't worth rooting them out for now they had a partially locked data pad that the could take to tower.

"So..some of the ships did make it," Ruby said. Looking off into the distance at a Damaged spaceship.

"True..looks like they weren't interested in taking everyone into space..." Ren hissed, glaring at Penny.

"I didn't know anything about the the status of our ships." Penny said , turning around, "I only know that I was sent to find people to bring on them, not where they went. Instead of following my orders I overrided them when I learned how to, and tried to get word of the cosmodrone out. And somewhere in the process, I forgot alot of things"

No body said another word as they waited for the dropship to arrive and pick them up.


	12. Night at the CCT (Hiatus Notification)

**This chapter is in dedication to Daneil Kyre and other creative minds that have passed away. May we honor them by continuing to move forward and peruse our passions, no matter if we famous or not.**

**Hey guys - To make this quick I don't know how soon I will be able to get back to writing to the fact I'm juggling alot of things on my plate: Grandfather in hospital, my job being short staffed, college is starting up, and babysitting. Plus I can't keep up with other gamers in destiny when I'm not playing it - my membership died a few months ago and I've decided to instead invest my money into making a new computer (My cousin and brother finally convinced me). **

**My experiences with Destiny and RWBY have been very great and amazing journeys and I will continue to follow them closely along the Roosterteeth and Bungie communities. Both groups were a huge of filling my teenage years great and memorable moments. However, it is you the readers who have made this fanfiction great and have made me enjoy writing it.**

**This chapter does end on flashback cliffhanger and I have of way of tying in Yang's absence with her reappearing 300 years later but I still don;t know exactly when to show it because I am in love with creating the lore for this hybrid universe through Ruby and her new team.**

**Keep Moving forward**

**BEACON TOWER**

Beacon looked like a shadowed magical palace against the dark mountain range and hovering over the shining body of still water. its streets glowed in a dim yellow light, with a few groups walking here and there. tower above those small pockets of people were arches and towers. Ruby remembered seeing a few more new buildings around beacon reminding her that times were different. Old cone-tipped towers gleamed in the shatter moon's light after 300 years. The speaker's office, formerly Ozpin's office, still glowed a cyan-green light, as Ruby always remembered it had. The traveller hovering infront of the tower appear to be the only consistent thing in the environment of Beacon Tower that didn't change between day and night.

Upon the dropship's landing, Penny outstretched her armored hands and then said, "So what should we do to celebrate, guardians?"

"Celebrate?" Ruby wondered "Penny I'm all for having fun but isn't what you did a usual part of your daily work?"

Arani shrugged "Sure - but I don't get out into the field often - usually I'm back here managing the armor shop."

"And today was my first day back out in the field - usually I'm in crucible." Ren said. "Besides it's been while since I've gotten time to spend with penny."

Thus the Group set out walking under the stars and through the cobblestone pathways, greeted by other guardians either moving out to patrol or spending the night with their friends. Ruby could even see the Cryptarch was still open for business even at this hour.

the group arrived where Ruby knew was the CCT tower. The tower surely had seen better days being slightly overgrown, yet it still looked functional. A small food stand titled "A Simple Wok" had been set up right at the base of the tower, managed by an elderly deer fanus. Seeing the tower reminded Ruby of her encounter with the masked woman who infiltrated the tower.

She had bought it up with penny and their new friend while their meal was being prepared. "Though...I can't quite remember if I had seen her afterwards..." Ruby added.

"Wherever she is" Penny said, taking a glass of oil. "I'm sure she long gone. The only other person who I can think of that is as old as dirt is...the speaker. Nobody knows exactly how he came to be other than went the traveler came so did he."

"I think he's just one more person trying to be the symbol of hope and leadership this tower and these people need." Aranci said, munching down on a gyro sandwich.

"Still...that wouldn't explain why he stays up in that old office and monitors the traveler all day. I think he's just part of the traveler - just in a form that's not a giant ball in the sky." Ren suggested, just being served rice, fish, and fries. "Anyway the Rumors just go on and on..."

"Wouldn't a guardian get too curious or interrupt his privacy?" Ruby wondered.

"No way - Ever since The Hive, the Cabal, the Vex and the Fallen have made Beacon tower the only safe place for sure on Remnant, No guardian has had a personal problem with the speaker or the traveler or could find out much about them; all we know is that they are keeping us alive and fighting everyday - with dust, weapons, and our ghosts..."

Ruby's ghost materialized next to her "Thanks for the credit Penny."

Penny smiled, "Anytime, twinkleshine."

"Don't call me that." growled the ghost.

"Or what You'll use your Lazer-face?" Penny scoffed referring to the beam the ghost used to come from eye that was used to open doors and over up tech.

"It looks more like it comes from his eye. In fact his whole face looks like an eye." Aranci stated.

"Or a maybe its an eye with eyes" Ruby suggested.

"'Eye' don't care." Ren said, countitung to eat. "Ditto" the ghost said.

* * *

**BEACON ACADEMY 300 YEARS AGO**

Cinder requested Ruby to meet up at the Airship station to Beacon, where she met two of Cinder's other partners, Their names were Mercury and Emerald, both of whom Ruby knew were transfer students from Haven. The duo mentioned that they were also kicked out, much to Ruby's surprise.

Their mission was to infiltrate Beacon's at night and get a hold of as much information as they could. Cinder was to stay behind and pilot the dropship, while Mercury, Emerald, and Ruby would deal with the infiltration.

"Get in and get out." Cinder advised to them via their scrolls, "Especially you, Ruby."

Donning a ill-fitting mask and sleeved jumpsuit, Ruby nodded, knowing she wouldn't have time to go back and see her dorm - which is slowly started to figure was for the better; now was the time to get back in action and have a change from all the negativity Ruby was bombarded with for months.

Mercury and Emerald wore similar items and readied their weapons - revolver-boots and gun-sickles, respectively. Ruby was allowed to take her weapon, only to have it modified with a suppressor. But even after testing it, Cinder felt it was better for her to avoid using such a loud weapon.

After counting their dust cartridges and readied their weapons on the rooftop, Emerald spied the number of atlas guards down below. At the entrance. "Four at the front."

"Avoid them;" Cinder advised "There is no dance tonight to distract everyone."

Cinder didn't need to say it twice. Emerald pulled out a suction tipped zip-line and fired it at the top of the tower, once one of the guard has his back to it where the three infiltrators were hanging. The guards were mostly expecting resistance to come to the ground, since any aircraft would be sighted instantly.

Ruby hesitated only to have Mercury asked if she was alright.

"I'm fine...but...I never though i would break into my own school - I know that crazy head master took over but -"

"Its not your school anymore - not since Ozpin left." Mercury said. "What we are doing is the right thing - uncovering secrets that Atlas is keeping from the world while it crumbles."

They a managed to entire via one the CCT tower's vents and found the main room room unguarded and open. To Ruby the consoles were the same and everything seemed just the way it has while she was at Beacon.

Mercury sat down at a terminal and logged on, scrolling though pictures and text documents and sliding his Scroll in.

"Cinder,...You...probably should hear about this."

"Speak." Cinder hissed in their communicators.

"Altas is also planning on bringing an android legion of some kind with them if their cosmodrone project is successful - and most of their civilian and government funding has gone to that. And the androids are unlike any I've ever seen before. They've...code named it "Project Vex." and these robots are to help Atlas in survive in harsh environments of..."Mars" and "Venus."..in any ways they can - construction, denfese, Colonization... However the robots, while extremely tactical, still think that any organic life is threat and cannot separate between Human-and non-human DNA."

All Ruby heard was sinister chuckle from Cinder over the radio. "Excellent. Copy the data and whatever else you can on the comsodrone project..."

"Sure, thing..." Mercury said "Just a little bit longer and-"

Static then appear on mercury's and a figure emerged behind Mercury's seat. It slammed Mercury's against the console, cracking it and then he was throw out to other side of the room. Ruby and Emerald readed their weapons as an alarm blared and painted the room in red.

Ruby could have sworn the robot mutter "Intruder."It had semi-circle head and curved arms, with a single red lens for an eye.

Behind it the elevator doors opened and An squad of atlas soldier's rolled out.

"Who activated the Vex? It can't reactivate it self...can it?!" one of them cried out aiming his rifle. His partner warned him "No wait! if you do that it will-"

The Vex spun around and raced to the atlas soldiers punching and kicking them until Ruby could head their bones snap. She was too horrified to moved until Emerald shouted for her to move.

After snatching Mercury's Scroll Ruby obeyed, following Emerald out the window. Cinder's Dropship was outside and in heartbeat as Ruby came aboard. and ship blasted off into the distance far away from beacon.

"Was that the Vex? What's it doing in Beacon?!" Ruby cried out, only to have Cinder Snatch the Scroll from Ruby.

Cinder eyed the scroll's data with curiosity.

"It seems Vex were created by students at beacon, originally meant to combat the grimm and put down their number in the emerald forest and..." Cinder's eye's winded and gave a fiery glare. "...They are to be shipped with the first group of people who are escape remnant via the cosmodrome ship - and that's in less than a week."

Cinder Tossed the phone back to Ruby and went back to the controls.

"Emerald? How's mercury?" Cinder barked from the cockpit.

"He'll live. Why?" Emerald wondered.

"We need to find a way to atlas."

* * *

BEACON TOWER

The crew stopped by a balcony on the way back, with ruby looking up at the stars - only to find out that some of her constellations she had see growing up were slightly different - a star missing here, another one all the way over there - regardless the stars were shining just as bright as beacon. A full moon was up in the sky adding the scene.

"Sure is peaceful." Ruby said.

"Nights like this forget that there is more to life than surviving." Ren said. "It can be challenge when you are giving things you really don't want to deal with but taking time out for this reminds us we are soldiers and not machines...no offense penny."

"Non-taken" Penny replied. Brushing her copper-colored locks to the side, making Ruby blush and twirled her pony tail. Ruby closed her eyes and imagined the two of them together in bed...then realizing Yang wasn't there to tease them about it.

Then...Ruby realized something. "I think us four make a great team." Ruby smiled.

"You betcha." Penny chimed, rubbing ruby's head and pulling her into a friendly hug.

**SO, here I request to you in the review:**

**a)what you like that's already in the fanfiction**

**b) What do you want to see in the future of this fanfiction**

**c) What you think could be improved other than my spelling **

**Alright...I'll see you guys later. :)**


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